Wikipedia reports decline in traffic as AI Summaries replace clicks

Wikipedia, the world’s largest free encyclopaedia, recently revealed that its wen traffic is falling mainly due to the rise in AI-powered search summaries and short-form social video, which are changing how people access information online. In an official blog post, the Wikimedia Foundation stated that users are increasingly consuming facts and content via AI-generated snippets in search results, rather than clicking through to full articles. Platforms like Google, Bing, and ChatGPT now surface instant answers, often sourced from Wikipedia itself, without directing users to the site. “People are getting the summary and not clicking through,” said Selena Deckelmann, Chief Product and Technology Officer at the Wikimedia Foundation.