Intelligent Machines (Audio) IM 846: Chivelord - From Leather-Bound to Cloud Powered
Nov 20, 2025
Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia and author of The Seven Rules of Trust, joins the discussion about building trust in technology. He shares insights from Wikipedia's origins, emphasizing the importance of user engagement and community trust. Wales highlights the potential and pitfalls of AI, showcasing amusing examples of AI hallucinations. He outlines the significance of a clear mission and civility in online spaces, while also critiquing emerging AI platforms. The conversation delves into how AI could enhance Wikipedia by automating tasks and improving accuracy.
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Humble Beginnings Of Wikipedia
- Jimmy Wales launched Wikipedia from a wiki after abandoning a top-down predecessor, Newpedia, following personal urgency when his daughter was born.
- Early software had no passwords, so he quickly added login features to prevent account impersonation and build trust.
LA Times Wikitorial Misstep
- The LA Times Wikitorial experiment failed because crucial transparency features like history were hidden, undermining collaboration.
- Wikipedians could still access history via direct links, showing how tooling choices affect trust.
Hidden UI Broke Collaboration
- Wikipedians had hidden helpful UI elements in the LA Times instance, forcing volunteers to type direct links to access history.
- This illustrated how small UX choices can break collaborative workflows and trust.
