The Excerpt For Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, truth has always been a matter of trust
Nov 28, 2025
Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia and author of The Seven Rules of Trust, shares his insights on trust and information integrity. He discusses the mixed relationship between Wikipedia and AI, emphasizing reliability over growth. Wales highlights the importance of neutral documentation and the community's role in fostering trust. He recounts lessons from past errors and the impact of declining trust on society, urging for mutual respect and dialogue. His thoughts on potential new trust rules spark intriguing conversations about accountability.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Wikipedia's Nuanced View Of AI
- Wikipedia is both a major AI training source and cautious about AI's reliability due to hallucinations.
- Jimmy Wales says AI is useful for brainstorming but currently poor for factual trust without verification.
Require Reliability Before Trusting AI
- Trust means you need not constantly supervise; reliability is essential.
- Wales argues current LLMs are unreliable and you should verify facts rather than accept generated text.
Quality Over Growth
- Wikipedia prioritizes writing an encyclopedia over raw growth.
- Wales says focus should be on quality, especially in underserved language communities.
