German-language Wikipedia considers comprehensive AI ban

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A comprehensive ban on AI-generated content is emerging in German-language Wikipedia. In an opinion poll, a vote among regular contributors to the free encyclopedia, there was a clear majority in favor of a ban as of Friday. Eligible participants can still vote until Monday evening, February 15, at 7:00 PM. Proponents of the ban argue that Wikipedia could be a beacon of human-written content if it refrains from AI-generated content. Critics object to the lack of controllability of such a ban and its lack of future viability if Wikipedia closes itself off to AI.

The core demands of the opinion poll are an explicit ban on AI-generated or edited texts. Those who repeatedly violate this will be permanently blocked in the future. The ban will also apply to discussion pages.

Exceptions to the AI ban

However, there will be exceptions: AI-generated images will be decided on a case-by-case basis. Machine translations will be permissible if fully reviewed, as will AI-assisted error corrections for spelling and grammar. AI support will also be permitted for research, as long as formulation suggestions are not adopted.

For proponents, an AI ban is a clear matter: “By humans, for humans” could serve as a quality seal and protect the credibility of the encyclopedia entries, the discussion states. It would also be a signal against “AI garbage on the internet.” Furthermore, hallucinations when using AI are a fundamental, ongoing problem, as even companies like OpenAI admit.

Is a ban enforceable?

Opponents of the ban, on the other hand, fear chaotic conditions because criteria for detection with evidentiary power are lacking, and therefore there can be no defined procedure for violations. Moreover, the quality of the result should count, not the path to it. They also demand a two-thirds majority as a prerequisite for a ban. The decision is too far-reaching to be made by a simple majority. They also consider a ban to be detrimental to the future. AI use is increasing in educational systems. Wikipedia appears “stuck in time” in comparison.

In the event of the increasingly likely adoption of the ban, German-language Wikipedia faces many discussions. This includes, for example, how to deal with scientific publications. The proposal would exclude such journals as references, which is controversial, as many reputable journals now allow and transparently disclose LLM use in manuscript creation. Existing AI-generated articles will also need to be discussed. And suspected cases are likely to cause many discussions due to their difficult detectability.

International solo effort

The effort to highlight Wikipedia's unique human characteristic is likely also related to the development of retrieval numbers. The increasing use of AI has led to a growing number of people answering their questions with the help of chatbots. However, whether refraining from AI generation is sufficient or whether the convenience of many users will prevail in the face of increasingly strong integration of AI into operating systems remains to be seen. In addition, other Wikipedia language versions have made different regulations. The Wikimedia Foundation, for example, allows the use of AI as a tool in its strategy with the slogan “Humans First” (officially: AI Strategy Brief 2025, timeframe 2025–2028).

(mki)