Wikipedia ties up with Microsoft, Meta, Amazon to monetise AI training

Wikimedia Foundation said the move will give tech platforms access to reliable content for their AI models, while helping sustain Wikipedia in the long term

Wikimedia Foundation, the parent company of online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, on Thursday revealed new partnerships with leading technology firms including Microsoft, Meta and Amazon, as it moves to earn revenue from companies that rely on its content for artificial intelligence (AI). 

“Today, we are announcing Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Mistral AI, and Perplexity for the first time as they join our roster of partners, which includes Google, Ecosia, Nomic, Pleias, ProRata, and Reef Media,” the non-profit’s enterprise arm said. Google’s parent Alphabet partnered with Wikipedia in 2022, according to Reuters.

 

Why is Wikimedia monetising access to Wikipedia content for AI?

The foundation said the move is aimed at giving tech platforms access to reliable content for their AI models while also helping sustain Wikipedia in the long term. “They can access content from Wikimedia projects at a volume and speed designed specifically for their needs, while directly supporting our non-profit mission,” it added.

 

 

Wikipedia, which largely survives on donations, has been a library of vast information for tech platforms to train their AI models. However, heavy automated scraping by tech companies has increased server usage and operating costs for Wikimedia, Reuters reported.

 

What did Wikimedia Enterprise say about moving Big Tech to paid access?

Lane Becker, president of Wikimedia Enterprise, told Reuters, “It took us a little while to understand the right set of features and functionality to offer if we’re going to move these companies from our free platform to a commercial platform … but all our Big Tech partners really see the need for them to commit to sustaining Wikipedia’s work.”

How big is Wikipedia’s content base and contributor community?

According to the foundation, Wikipedia hosts about 65 million articles across more than 300 languages, attracting nearly 15 billion views a month. The content is produced and overseen by roughly 250,000 volunteer editors worldwide.

 

“Access to high-quality, trustworthy information is at the heart of how we think about the future of AI at Microsoft. Our partnership with Wikimedia helps ensure that people, and the agents working on their behalf, can draw on knowledge they understand and trust. Together, we’re helping create a sustainable content ecosystem for the AI internet, where contributors are valued, communities are respected, and responsible AI expands opportunity for everyone,” said Tim Frank, corporate vice president at Microsoft.