Wikipedia's traffic has surged 50% since January 2024, largely due to AI bots scraping data. This costs Wikipedia significant server fees, with 65% of their most expensive traffic originating from bots, despite bots only accounting for 35% of total page views. The issue highlights the financial burden on websites from AI data scraping.
Wikipedia traffic surged 50% since January 2024
AI bots are the primary cause
Bots account for 35% of page views but 65% of expensive traffic
Wikipedia is being flooded with edits by AI bots. This trend could reshape how knowledge is curated online. We explore the pros and pitfalls of bot-driven content creation.