Wikipedia turns 25, marking a quarter century of providing free, reliable, human-powered knowledge to people around the globe. Launched in 2001, the platform has become a cornerstone of the internet, accessed by over 1.5 billion unique devices each month and viewed nearly 15 billion times monthly. To commemorate this milestone, Wikimedia Foundation initiated the Wikipedia 25 campaign, celebrating the volunteers who contribute content, the technological developments that support the platform, and the platform’s continued relevance in an era dominated by artificial intelligence. The campaign also provides an opportunity for users to explore Wikipedia’s journey, its global impact, and the stories behind the people who make its vast repository of knowledge possible.
Central to the anniversary celebrations is a new video docuseries that provides an inside look at the lives and motivations of Wikipedia volunteer editors worldwide. The series features eight contributors, including an Indian doctor who shared critical COVID‑19 information, a Californian chronicling hurricanes, and a Tokyo librarian making knowledge accessible in Japanese. These stories illustrate that despite advances in AI, human effort remains essential to ensuring accurate, reliable, and neutral information on Wikipedia. The docuseries underscores the importance of human judgment in maintaining content quality, verifying sources, and shaping the platform into a trusted knowledge resource.
Alongside the docuseries, Wikimedia Foundation launched a “25 Years of Wikipedia” time capsule and an interactive quiz, inviting global users to engage with the platform’s history and explore possible futures for Wikipedia. The time capsule includes reflections from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, stories of major moments in Wikipedia’s history, and unique, memorable articles such as the famously prescient octopus Paul. These initiatives highlight Wikipedia’s role in documenting events, preserving knowledge, and offering insights that are both educational and culturally significant. The quiz and other interactive experiences encourage broader engagement, connecting users with the platform in innovative ways and fostering curiosity about how knowledge is created and shared.
Wikipedia’s anniversary also emphasizes its ongoing partnerships with technology companies that rely on Wikimedia content. Organizations such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and emerging partners like Mistral AI and ProRata collaborate through Wikimedia Enterprise, ensuring that large-scale content use supports the nonprofit mission and sustainability of the platform. In addition, Wikimedia Foundation has implemented an AI strategy that prioritizes human contributors, reinforcing the role of editors in guiding content creation and maintenance. With continuous infrastructure upgrades, mobile apps, accessibility improvements, and language translation initiatives such as Abstract Wikipedia, the platform continues to evolve while preserving its core values of openness, reliability, and inclusivity.
Over 25 years, Wikipedia has grown into the only nonprofit-run site among the top ten most-visited websites worldwide. With more than 65 million articles across over 300 languages, the platform represents one of the largest collaborative knowledge projects ever undertaken. The Wikipedia 25 celebrations, which include virtual events, social media campaigns, and limited-edition merchandise, are designed to engage both longtime supporters and new audiences. As Jimmy Wales noted, Wikipedia demonstrates the power of collective effort, proving that when people come together with a shared purpose, knowledge can become accessible to everyone, everywhere.
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