Wikipedia has signed AI training deals with Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon, joining Google and others in the Wikimedia Enterprise program. This move marks a significant shift as major tech companies now pay to use Wikipedia content, which has long been a staple for training AI models. Lane Becker, president of Wikimedia Enterprise, noted that these companies recognize the need to financially support Wikipedia, given its crucial role in their AI development.

The licensing deals come amid rising infrastructure costs for Wikipedia, which has seen a surge in bandwidth usage as AI companies scrape its content. In 2025, the foundation reported a 50% increase in bandwidth for multimedia downloads, with bots accounting for a large portion of these requests. This trend threatens the traditional feedback loop of Wikipedia, where readers often become editors or donors, sustaining the platform's growth.

Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, welcomes AI models training on Wikipedia data, describing it as 'human curated.' However, he emphasizes the need for these companies to contribute financially. The foundation's own experiments with generative AI have faced resistance from volunteer editors, who worry about the integrity of the platform. As AI continues to evolve, these deals ensure Wikipedia remains a vital resource, supported by the very companies it empowers.