Wiki AI : Building the world's best tools for editing, illustrating, reviewing, and presenting cooperative knowledge
Speakers
I'm mostly active on en-wiki and commons. Like a lot of editors, I got pulled in because someone was wrong on the internet and I ended up staying for the history of some obscure places that turned out to be more contested than they looked. Along the way I've uploaded photos of obscure places and I've spent more time than is probably healthy arguing about what counts as a reliable source. I've been on the receiving end of the policy too, which is also a useful perspective to have.
Lately I've been building AI-powered tools, and participating in the editorial and policy conversations around their use in Wikimedia projects. I'm one of the authors of Source Verifier, a tool that checks whether Wikipedia citations actually support the claims they're attached to. I'm also working on Commons Diffusor, aimed at the backlog of undercategorised images on Commons.
I am a wikipedian, translator and inclusionist. I have designed a range of platforms for offline teaching and community-owned publishing of research and data, helped build a national digital library, directed part of a global education project, and served as a trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation. I co-hosted Wikimania 2006 and WCNA 2019, and have worked on a range of other convenings to expand the Commons.
Currently I am building the AI Commons, for knowledge used and produced by AI systems, and Omnipedia, collective knowledge that any agent can edit.
Abstract
This day is dedicated to using AI to make participation in the Wikiverse
- EASY by reducing friction & helping newbies
- FUN by enabling creativity & exploration
- MEANINGFUL by replacing drudgery with high-value work
We start with where we are now and a hands-on workshop on the kind of community we want to be with AI. Threads for the day include
Tools for Reliability & Defense
- Defending the public record: assisting with anti-vandalism, source verification and detection of AI-mediated spam and slop
- What has changed with LLMs, what hasn't, and where the tradeoffs lie.
Building with AI & Ecosystem Tooling
- AI-assisted development for non-developers
- Current tools & repos for interacting with global knowledge (HuggingFace, PublicAI, Wiki AI skills)
- Expanding global library access for contributors (Internet Archive, The Wikipedia Library, Common Corpus)
More than just Major Wikipedias
- Empowering Small(er) Wikis - AI as a force and challenge for underrepresented languages and knowledge gaps: accessibility and tool discoverability
- Commons & Media - from clearing categorisation backlogs to the disputes over AI-generated images
Also, we'll have a Wikigame and Breakout Tables - small-group tables with an open agenda. Bring a project or just curiosity.
Here's the registration link. If you have Wikimania tickets, you can just drop by, but consider registering anyway - it will help us understand how many attendees will be at the event.
Curious about the full program? See the event page.
Additional information
Freedom of access: for automated systems, for knowledge centers doing high volume summarization and synthesis, for people who need AI for accessibility, to access a draft space to share free knowledge; Equity of access: across language and reading level and tool-use ability, for people who need AI translation or have a hard time using editing and multimedia tools on mobile or on the go. Reliability of knowledge: in the long tail of new, "popular", or regional topics not currently on WP (too new / not yet notable / only known to oral history or regional records), which are widely searched for or discussed online but only covered in less reliable sources.
Editors, tool builders, and researchers who want a say in how AI shapes Wikimedia and open knowledge. No technical experience necessary.
Some experience will be needed