Did Wikipedia lose 2 million visitors to AI?

I was browsing the AI Flash Report the other day. I came across a fun story about the Wikipedia Foundation. It’s using AI as part of its editing processes.

I was curious about the net’s biggest informational site turning from human towards machine. Surely, they thrive on 100% human content? So, I plugged the Wikipedia domain into Ahrefs, and I got this chart of doom.

Ok, I exaggerate.

Three million organic visitors from search per year is nothing to sniff at, and Wikipedia gets a ton of direct traffic. But, three million organic visitors is a far cry from the five million Wikipedia attracted before GPT set the internet on fire.

If you’re in the purely information business, AI looks like a mass extinction event. It excels at digesting and presenting known facts and knowledge, the type of content Wikipedia is built on. Getting this type of information from ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude is easier and faster.

Plus, using generative AI, Google now surfaces info content at the top of search. So why even click through to Wikipedia, let alone any other informational site?

We’re entering a world where websites of all sizes get less traffic thanks to AI.

Smaller publishers faced this problem after ChatGPT launched. My own web traffic plummeted by 90% in part thanks to AI, a year ago.

Wikipedia is switching up its business model.

It says AI will support their moderators, free up time for editors, automate translations and help the non-profit scale. I like the sound of that.

On its Meta Wiki, they say,

“…we expect that the knowledge ecosystem will become increasingly polluted with low-quality content, misinformation, and disinformation. ”

It’s like they just discovered TikTok!

I switched up my business model, too. I’m no longer in the 100% information game. I still write and create content, but only if it’s personal and authentic. I still create informational content, but only if I can combine it with a personal take.

In this post-GPT world, we must develop use cases for AI… or risk being left behind.

If you’re unsure this new world, you’re not alone. Even, Wikipedia uses words like “trade off” and “possible solutions” on their wiki.

Start with authenticity. It’s the best way for creators and business owners to stand out. Create and publish something that only you can say or do. Don’t waste time or energy on generic low-quality content.

Examples include stories about your business, unique insights from your career, or specifics about how you help customers and clients.

Then… use AI to amplify your ideas across the interwebs.

If you need help with that, check out PromptWritingStudio.