Image by Oberon Copeland, from Unsplash
Wikipedia Tightens Rules To Combat AI-Generated Errors
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Wikipedia is warning readers about AI-generated text, speeding page deletions, and banning AI images in a major push to preserve reliability and trust.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Wikipedia adds warning labels to articles with suspected AI-generated text.
- Editors launched WikiProject AI Cleanup in 2023 to identify AI-written content.
- 5% of new English pages in August 2024 contained AI-generated material.
The warning label “This article may incorporate text from a large language model” appears on hundreds of Wikipedia articles. The Washington Post reports how volunteer editors work to identify and eliminate AI-generated content containing errors, false citations, and misleading data.
“People really, really trust Wikipedia,” said Lucie-Aimée Kaffee, a policy and AI researcher, as reported by The Post. “And that’s something we shouldn’t erode,” Lucie added.
The accuracy of Wikipedia depends on a worldwide network of volunteers who have fought against spam and vandalism since the platform’s inception. Since 2022, AI text generation has simplified the creation of convincing but flawed Wikipedia articles, said Marshall Miller, director of product at the Wikimedia Foundation. “I like to think of it as like an immune system,” Miller said, as reported by The Post.
A Princeton University study found that about 5% of new English Wikipedia pages in August 2024 contained AI-generated text, as reported by The Post. Some were harmless, but others promoted businesses or political agendas. Examples included a hotel described instead of a village, and a fake Ottoman fortress article that stayed online for nearly a year.
To combat this, editors launched WikiProject AI Cleanup in 2023, creating guides to spot AI writing and listing over 500 suspect articles. In August, Wikipedia implemented a new deletion policy to enable quick page removals, particularly those containing visible AI-produced content, or leftover prompts. Additionally, AI-generated images are banned entirely.
“Oh man, I’ve been finding a LOT of AI slop in the submission queue,” one editor complained in June, as reported by The Post.
While the Wikimedia Foundation has explored AI tools to help editors with tasks like translation, Miller stressed: “The way that Wikipedia remains neutral and reliable … is that all this content passes through the hands of people.” Kaffee added: “Asking, ‘Where do we want AI? [ … ] What kind of rules do we want to set for AI-generated knowledge?’ I think is really important.”
Image by Levart_Photographer, from Unsplash
OpenAI Offers ChatGPT To US Government Agencies for Just $1
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
OpenAI will offer ChatGPT Enterprise to the U.S. federal to over 2 million employees at a $1 rate.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- OpenAI offers ChatGPT Enterprise to US federal agencies for $1.
- Over 2 million federal workers get access for one year.
- ChatGPT includes advanced features and stronger data privacy protections.
OpenAI announced a $1 per agency pricing deal for ChatGPT Enterprise which will become available to every U.S. federal executive branch agency during the upcoming year, as first reported by CNBC .
Through this move ChatGPT becomes accessible to more than 2 million government workers at an affordable price.
ArsTechnica notes that the agreement comes shortly after the U.S. General Services Administration approved a wider deal allowing OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic to supply AI tools to federal agencies.
CNBC reports that OpenAI claims that this move aims to make government “services faster, easier, and more reliable,” calling the offer a form of public service.
“Helping government work better – making services faster, easier, and more reliable—is a key way to bring the benefits of AI to everyone,” OpenAI said in a blog post, as reported by ArsTechica.
The ChatGPT Enterprise platform will be made available to agencies through a bundle that contains advanced AI models, along with Advanced Voice Mode, Deep Research, while also providing stronger privacy safeguards than the standard version. These features will be fully available for 60 days, with no obligation to renew after the one-year trial.
This initiative follows a pilot with the Department of Defense and the June launch of “OpenAI for Government.” OpenAI also recently secured a $200 million DoD contract and is reportedly seeking new investors at a $500 billion valuation, as noted by CNBC.
Still, concerns persist. ArsTechnica notes that Trump’s executive order titled “Preventing Woke AI” bans tools that promote “ideological dogmas such as DEI.” Critics have long accused ChatGPT of left-leaning bias.
Security questions remain, too, though a GSA spokesperson insisted, “The government is taking a cautious, security-first approach to AI,” as reported by TechCrunch .
OpenAI plans to open a Washington, D.C. office in early 2026. The increasing adoption of ChatGPT by governments across the world has sparked public debate. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson admitted using ChatGPT to generate ideas for political decisions, describing it as a “second opinion.”
However, this sparked backlash from critics who argue that relying on AI for government decisions is risky and undemocratic. Virginia Dignum, a responsible AI professor, said, “We must demand that reliability can be guaranteed. We didn’t vote for ChatGPT.”
Experts warn that AI systems can be manipulated and raise concerns about transparency, security, and the potential erosion of democratic processes.
