Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, has dismissed concerns that AI-generated encyclopedias such as Grokipedia pose a serious threat to the world’s largest free knowledge platform.
Speaking on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Wales said Wikipedia’s strength lies in its human-vetted model, where volunteers carefully write and edit articles. “Why do I go to Wikipedia? I go because it’s human-vetted knowledge,” he said, adding that the platform would not consider allowing artificial intelligence to independently generate articles due to reliability concerns.
Wales pointed to persistent issues with large language models, including systems developed by OpenAI and other tech firms. One major concern remains “hallucinations” instances where AI tools generate inaccurate or misleading information. A 2025 study by OpenAI found hallucination rates in some tests reached as high as 79%, underlining the ongoing challenge.
He argued that such errors become even more frequent when dealing with obscure or niche subjects. In contrast, Wikipedia benefits from contributions by subject-matter experts and passionate editors who bring depth, context and accuracy to entries. “People are obsessives,” Wales remarked, emphasizing that this dedication helps ensure quality and nuance.
Grokipedia, launched last year by Elon Musk’s AI venture, aims to provide an AI-generated alternative to traditional encyclopedias. However, Wales described it as a “cartoon imitation,” suggesting that AI systems still lack the contextual understanding and editorial oversight necessary for dependable reference material.
As AI tools rapidly expand across industries, Wales’ remarks highlight an ongoing debate: whether machine-generated knowledge can truly replace collaborative, human-curated information platforms. For now, he appears confident that Wikipedia’s community-driven model remains unmatched.
