TNW 385: Wikipedia's AI Strategy Explained - Wikimedia Foundation's Leila Zia on Human-Centered AI

May 1, 2025

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In this episode of Tech News Weekly, Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti explore the growing role of AI in consumer tech, the latest legal setback for Apple's App Store policies, and two in-depth interviews: Bloomberg's Leah Nylen breaks down the DOJ's proposed remedies in the antitrust case against Google, and Wikimedia's Leila Zia shares the foundation's new AI strategy that centers humans—not machines.

ChatGPT Adds Shopping Tools: Abrar Al-Heeti highlights OpenAI's new AI-powered shopping experience in ChatGPT, which personalizes product recommendations and integrates purchase links—all without leaving the chat window. She and Mikah explore the implications for consumer trust, affiliate marketing, and the future of Amazon and Google as default shopping destinations.
Apple vs. Epic: Court Strikes Back: Mikah breaks down a dramatic new ruling against Apple, in which a judge found the company in violation of a 2021 injunction and imposed strict limits on how it can control third-party payments. Mikah and Abrar discuss how this could reshape the App Store's fee model and what it means for developers and users alike.
Google's Antitrust Remedy Phase: Bloomberg antitrust reporter Leah Nylen returns to unpack the latest in the DOJ's case against Google. She explains the three proposed remedies—including a possible Chrome browser divestiture—and what testimony from tech competitors like DuckDuckGo, Perplexity, and OpenAI revealed about Google's dominance in search and AI.
Wikipedia's Human-Centered AI Strategy: Leila Zia, Head of Research at the Wikimedia Foundation, outlines their new AI roadmap, which focuses on supporting Wikipedia's volunteer editors rather than replacing them. She details how AI will assist with moderation, multilingual knowledge expansion, and mentorship—all while upholding values of transparency and human agency.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti

Guests: Leah Nylen and Leila Zia

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