It was the year of artificial intelligence (AI), and with AI dominating conversations in the tech world and beyond, millions flocked to Wikipedia to learn about ChatGPT, making it this year’s most-viewed article.
ChatGPT attracted just under 49.5 million pageviews on English language Wikipedia this year to grab the spot, which last year went to infamous American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The Wikimedia Foundation revealed that the chatbot was just as popular in other languages, and combined, it garnered 78 million pageviews.
ChatGPT’s domination on Wikipedia aligns with AI being declared the Collins Dictionary’s Word of the Year last month.
“It’s clear that people wanted to better understand the history and the context behind ChatGPT’s technology as they experimented with it,” commented Anusha Alikhan, the Wikimedia Foundation’s chief communications officer.
ChatGPT and Wikipedia have a working relationship where the chatbot uses the online encyclopedia’s data for training. Alikhan revealed that a sizable portion of the responses that ChatGPT provides to its users are restructured from Wikipedia data. Being a non-profit, the foundation doesn’t charge OpenAI for the data.
But while they have a cordial relationship, ChatGPT has been touted by many, including some Wikipedia editors, as its biggest threat. With the chatbot able to offer responses tailored to individual needs and preferences and tap thousands of other sources besides Wikipedia, it could begin to replace the encyclopedia.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if things are fine for the next three years and then, all of a sudden, in Year 4 or 5, things drop off a cliff,” one Wikipedia editor said of its prospects.
ChatGPT launched in November 2022 and became a global sensation in weeks. By January 2023, the chatbot, which offers users humanlike interactions and output, hit 100 million users, setting a record for consumer application adoption. TikTok, which previously held the title, had taken nine months to hit this number.
While the chatbot continues to rack up users, the people behind it have been embroiled in a war to control the hottest startup globally. The OpenAI boss unexpectedly ousted co-founder and CEO Sam Altman, and in an eventful few days, he took up a new position at Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), was reinstated at the firm, and the board stepped down.
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Source: https://coingeek.com/chatgpt-is-wikipedia-most-viewed-article-in-2023/