Generative artificial intelligence is radically transforming the way we interact with the internet. Today, a simple Google search reveals this change: where it was once necessary to visit multiple websites to find answers, search engines now provide direct responses generated by AI trained on information from across the web. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Grok have popularized this instant access to knowledge, which is already impacting sites that rely on user traffic, such as Wikipedia, the largest digital encyclopedia with over 60 million articles in more than 300 languages. For nearly 25 years, Wikipedia has been a reference on the web, housing information on any imaginable topic, from dog breeds to scientific theories or artistic movements. However, the rise of AI is affecting its model. According to the Wikimedia Foundation, the encyclopedia lost 8% of its human traffic in the last year, mainly because users find answers directly in search results without needing to click on links. As Miguel Ángel García, a lawyer and former member of Wikimedia Spain, explains, this decline may seem small, but it directly impacts donations and volunteer participation, which are fundamental to Wikipedia's operation. The challenge doesn't stop there. In November, Wikimedia publicly requested AI companies to contribute financially to the project, reminding them that these technologies rely on human-generated content, like that of Wikipedia, to train their models. Without this resource, chatbots would not be able to provide accurate answers. García points out that many applications simply reproduce information from Wikipedia, so it is not in their interest for the encyclopedia to disappear, and they will likely need to reach agreements to continue accessing this data. A clear example of this dependency is Elon Musk's Grokipedia, launched in October, which uses AI to generate content, but much of its articles have been copied verbatim from Wikipedia. Matilde Cuadrado from Wikimedia Spain warns that this platform serves particular interests and presents biases, and most large AI models use Wikipedia for the quality of its content, making it difficult to eliminate its influence. Wikipedia also faces the challenge of maintaining the quality and accuracy of its articles in the face of the proliferation of AI-generated content. While the use of these tools is allowed to expedite tasks, articles must be written and verified by humans. García emphasizes that AI-generated texts often lack reliable sources and sometimes contain fabricated information. However, experienced editors can easily identify these texts by their characteristic structure and style. Additionally, chatbots tend to create lengthy and detailed entries even for recent topics, which is uncommon on Wikipedia, making them easier to detect. The community remains vigilant to preserve the reliability and rigor of the encyclopedia in the face of the challenges posed by artificial intelligence. (Source: abc.es)