Wikipedia's Big Birthday: 25 Years of Free Knowledge and New AI Deals

Wikipedia just hit the big 25! This online encyclopedia, built by volunteers, now has 65 million articles in 300 languages. To celebrate, it teamed up with big tech companies like Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft. These companies will use Wikipedia's info to make their AI smarter. Wikipedia started small. The first page was just a simple "Hello World" message. Over time, it grew into a huge resource. At first, teachers didn't trust it. Now, it's a go-to source for many. AI is changing how we find information. Instead of searching online, people now ask AI tools like ChatGPT. Wikipedia saw this and made deals with AI companies. This helps keep Wikipedia free for everyone while also making some money.Wikipedia has five main rules. One big rule is that its content is free for anyone to use. This means AI companies can take Wikipedia's info without asking. The new deals help make sure the info is up-to-date and easy to access. Wikipedia is run by volunteers. Some, like "Hurricane Hank, " edit pages during disasters. Others, like medical experts, add accurate health info. The founder, Jimmy Wales, calls Wikipedia "25 years of humanity at its best. " These deals with AI companies show how Wikipedia has changed. It started as a free, volunteer project. Now, it's also a key part of big tech's AI plans. Hopefully, this will help make AI better too.