Wikipedia signs agreements with Amazon, Meta and Microsoft to provide content to their systems of artificial intelligence. The Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit entity behind the collaborative encyclopedia, uses its platform Wikipedia Enterprise to formalize these agreements. This allows for structured and paid access, relieving pressure on servers that support massive free scraping by AI bots.
Balance between free access and sustainability
Historically, models like ChatGPT or Gemini have extracted data from Wikipedia without compensation, overloading the infrastructure. Now, Wikipedia signs agreements that generate income for maintenance, while keeping content free for individual users. Jimmy Wales, co-founder, emphasizes that this strategy respects the principle of open access without sacrificing financial viability.
Scope of the strategic alliances
Other involved companies
Beyond Amazon, Meta and Microsoft, Wikipedia signs agreements with Google and AI startups. These agreements protect the encyclopedia’s database, which has over 6 million articles in English and editions in hundreds of languages. In 2025, Wikimedia reported license revenues exceeding $10 million, a jump driven by demand for clean data for generative model training.
- Key benefits: Stable income for servers and volunteer editors.
- Clean and updated content, ideal for AI without common hallucinations.
- Commitment to Creative Commons licenses, avoiding legal disputes like those with OpenAI.
Context in the AI industry
The announcement comes at a time of tensions: demands for unauthorized data use have escalated, with New York Times suing Microsoft in 2024. Experts like Timnit Gebru highlight that these agreements set an ethical precedent, promoting fair compensation. For the Dominican Republic, where access to Wikipedia is vital in education, these changes ensure continuity without additional costs for local users.
The Foundation reaffirms its mission: free knowledge for all. Wikipedia signs agreements not only sustains the platform, but also shapes the future of responsible AI, integrating open collaboration with commercial innovation.
