Wikipedia has paused its new AI-generated article summaries following strong opposition from its volunteer editor community. The feature, tested briefly on June 2, displayed simplified summaries at the top of articles for mobile users who opted in, marked with a yellow “unverified” label.
The summaries were created using an open-weight Aya model from Cohere Labs and were initially intended as a two-week trial for about 10% of mobile readers using the Wikipedia browser extension. However, the Wikimedia Foundation, which operates the platform, halted the test after just one day due to concerns raised by editors.
Editors criticized the summaries for potentially spreading inaccurate or biased information and undermining Wikipedia’s credibility. One editor warned that the summaries could cause “immediate and irreversible harm” to the site’s reputation, while another raised concerns about a lack of editorial oversight and neutrality.
Responses from the editing community included blunt reactions such as “Yuck,” “Absolutely not,” and “Very bad idea.” Critics argued the summaries conflicted with Wikipedia’s longstanding standards of collaborative editing and neutrality.
Although the AI summaries have been paused, the Wikimedia Foundation says it will continue exploring tools to improve content accessibility for readers of different levels. Human editors will continue to play a central role in shaping the information on Wikipedia, according to a spokesperson.
