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Interview

'Clever but random': Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales on the subtler risks of AI

Co-founder of online encyclopedia worried about indirect impact of new tech

Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales says battling misinformation is not a new challenge for the platform. (Photo by Cissy Zhou)

HONG KONG -- Around 30 years ago, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales was having a conversation with a friend about the possibility of artificial intelligence. They thought that if AI did ever arrive, it would be a very serious and fact-based technology, without imagination or creativity. Now, Wales said, he is surprised by what AI can do: It's not very good at facts, but it is really creative.

The rise of generative AI, particularly the continuous evolution of OpenAI's ChatGPT, has raised serious questions for the online nonprofit encyclopedia, whose content is maintained by a community of volunteer editors.

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