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We say Wikipedia isn't a battleground. So why does it feel like one?
Discussion:AI slop is flooding the internet, and it is harder and harder to find reliable information. The digital divide of the future will be between people who can afford to pay for high quality, fact-checked content, and people who only have access to cheap, AI-generated texts full of hallucinations, promotional content and scams. In this world, the Wikipedia must remain a reliable and trustworthy source that is free to all users. To stay reliable, the Wikipedia has to keep relying on human editing, because LLMs are not reliable and they are not accountable for the words they generate. Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2026-01-15/Special report argues that using LLMs will help Wikipedia serve the Global South better. I disagree - to use LLMs means we will lower quality to the extent that the Wikipedia will lose its role as a reliable encyclopedia accessible to anyone. I'm both a Wikipedia editor and a professor doing research on LLMs and their cultural effect so would like to write something about this if it seems suitable for the Signpost. Lijil (talk) 20:33, 18 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Lijil: Thanks for your submission. Yes, it seems that for the foreseeable future, Signpost readers want and will react to perspectives on AI.
Thank you so much for making this submission. If you drafted anything, then I think you would be the first person with professional expert insight into this, and I would be delighted to help you get something to reviewers. This is a standing offer. Our next issue is in 10 days, but we are always publishing, so take the time that you want.
I apologize for the delay in getting back to you but I think just now, we have cleared our submissions backlog, and you have our editorial attention now.
I appreciate your strong opinions. Feel free to take this in the direction you like, whether a soap box for making bold claims, or reacting to anything else, as long or as short of a piece as you like. I think it would mean a lot to readers to get any sort of input from a person who edits Wikipedia, but who also has research insight into the broad effects of LLMs. Thanks for considering and let me know how I or the other editors can support you. Feel free to start drafting. Bluerasberry (talk)20:38, 17 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Great, thank you! I'll try to draft something in the next few days - not sure I can get anything ready soon enough for the next issue but definitely want to do this. What is the ideal word count? Lijil (talk) 07:47, 18 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Lijil: 1000 words is a good length for an op-ed. We have plenty of shorter and longer submissions, but for this audience, it is reasonable to expect people to read submissions of that length. Bluerasberry (talk)14:13, 18 March 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Discussion: We'd like to share OKA's story — how we went from a small experiment in 2022 to coordinating translation work across 80+ editors who published 13k+ articles, what we've learned (sometimes the hard way) from community feedback, and what our recent empirical study revealed about which LLM models actually work well for translation versus which ones just make things worse. Recent ANI discussions surfaced real concerns about our quality control processes, and we want to walk through how we're addressing those issues, including our upcoming peer review system. 7804j (talk) 20:42, 27 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@7804j: Please develop your submission at User:7804j/OKA: grants for translators assisted by LLMs. If it is not burdensome, then submit as much content as you would like, perhaps 500-2000 words. If you want interim feedback, then at least make a few section headings and put a few sentences under each, even if it does not tell a full story. I think you know your way around wiki and have a good sense of how to talk with the Wikimedia community, but this story does hit multiple hot topics including paid editing, inclusion of people in lower middle countries, AI, and putting a process on the table to address decades-old cross-wiki translation backlogs. I am grateful for your submission. Also I want to connect you with feedback before publication, to get some confirmation that you will not be misunderstood. Bluerasberry (talk)18:43, 11 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Discussion: I don't have a page to show for this yet, since it's mostly an idea that I'd like feedback on before starting to write (apologies if this is in the wrong place): I had an idea of writing a short report on how NYT Games (like the crosswords, Wordle, and Connections) drive Wikipedia article views. For example, when myrrh was the Wordle answer on 19 December 2025, the pageviews report shows a massive spike due to a decent amount of people being unfamiliar with the word. I like looking at statistics and I play NYT Games a lot, so I'd enjoy writing it, but I don't know if people would enjoy reading it, so I'd like feedback before committing to writing. (It's possible it could focus on other platforms as well as NYT Games, to avoid seeming promotional, but I'm not familiar with others and NYT Games is the most popular by far afaik.) Suntooooth, it/he (talk | contribs) 20:30, 5 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Suntooooth: Sure, we can find a way to publish that. This is a secret so do not tell anyone, but Signpost editor Bri has a new Signpost crossword game in development at User:Bri/Signpost. If you can get a draft of something going, then your story and the presentation of this new Signpost crossword could coincide. Also, if you have any interest in being a contributing editor for Signpost crossword Wikipedia clues, then I think there is an opening for a crossword fan.
@Suntooooth: You are still welcome to make a submission on this topic. There is no rush, and this is a standing offer. We accept modest submissions of a few paragraphs and 1-2 pics from Commons. Your topic is interesting and fits, so please draft if you like. Bluerasberry (talk)15:18, 21 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the reminder - I'd love to be working on it, but IRL factors mean it might take a while. I'm most likely to get it done for the issue after next, but we'll see - could be sooner, could be later. Suntooooth, it/he (talk | contribs) 17:21, 21 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Discussion: This piece examines the recent problems in the community and makes a modest proposal: Spend 25% on the community. We show how currently WMF is spending about 15% of its budget on the community in terms of grants and awards. We outline what essentially doubling the funds for community could do in terms of solving the problems outlined recently, and look at where the funds could come from.
check in March 2026
I think it is a relevant and much needed piece to start a discussion about equality and investing in the community to the same extent that WMF invests in its staff.
@NabuKudurru: I helped with formatting at Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/Next issue/Concept. Can you give a go at cleaning up the design and selecting appropriate images from Wikimedia Commons? Also I need you to respond to agree that you wanted me to copy/paste your text from the Google Doc into the Wikimedia platform, in the context of you being a Wikimedia user who understands this copyright issue. Bluerasberry (talk)18:10, 11 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
+1 thank you for that. I will try to go through the submission portal, but it is not clear for me how to add the pictures, should i add them to commons first? they are both from wikimedia, so i guess ccby. Best, Brett NabuKudurru (talk) 13:07, 12 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]
@Shushugah: Yes, please start drafting. The next issue is in about two weeks. You can choose one of the article formats at Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/Newsroom. Perhaps "Special report", "Opinion", or "Concept" would work. If you want to try Signpost formatting, then submit at the newsroom, otherwise write it anywhere then ping me and I will help with formatting and move it to the newsroom. Thanks, what an exciting topic. Bluerasberry (talk)14:55, 21 February 2026 (UTC)[reply]