Wikipedia highlights human knowledge in the age of misinformation and artificial intelligence

Jane Anderson
Jane Anderson
Campaña de Wikipedia

Wikipedia It is one of the ten most visited websites in the world, reaching 15,000 million visits per month, but many users are unaware that collaboration and contribution is the basis of its operation. To highlight its human component, its continuous evolution and the systems with which it works to offer real and neutral information, it has launched the “Knowledge is human” campaign.

Devised by the Virtue Worldwide agencythe campaign highlights the uniqueness of Wikipedia as an online encyclopedia created and edited by people around the world, free of advertising and complex algorithms, and alive through the power of collaboration. The message is conveyed through different pieces that, precisely, highlight the contributions made by users.

The creatives that can be seen on Wikipedia social profiles reflect the platform contribution and editing modelshowing how each entry is created between different users who add their knowledge. Furthermore, it highlights that, regardless of the topic, Wikipedia knowledge is constantly verified and optimized by a multitude of people. “Knowledge is 5.7 updates per second. Knowledge is 26 million collaborators. Knowledge is human” is the message that the platform sends.

Wikipedia has launched the campaign in a context of growing concern and distrust regarding misinformation and fake news, which has also been aggravated by the development of solutions for artificial intelligence generative. Deepfakes or the difficulty of discerning content generated with AI increases concern about possible manipulations.
In addition, large information search platforms, such as Google or Bing, are increasingly relying on AI to offer their services.

According to Little Black Bookthe campaign has also had outdoor advertising activations in the United States, market that is going through a crucial moment with regard to the search for information, in light of the current electoral campaign.
Thus, it has displayed, on trucks with digital screens, contextually relevant encyclopedia entries, such as “Democracy”, “Rats in New York City” and “Skateboarding” in cities such as New York and Los Angeles.

Disinformation, biased information and fake news is sadly taking over”; commented Christine M. Smith, Creative Director of Virtue, via LinkedIn. “Our latest campaign for Wikipedia shows the power of its community (containing millions of volunteers) coming together to bring you neutral, verified information“.

People around the world are increasingly skeptical of their sources of information.”said Zack McCune, Brand Director of the Wikimedia Foundation, according to the aforementioned media. “Wikipedia is a place people can trust because it is made by people using verified sources. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers debate and verify content to keep it constantly updated and improving”.

Few brands can claim to bring as much value to consumers and the world at large as Wikipedia, and this campaign has reinvigorated the important conversation about misinformation and its impact on our world at a crucial time in the United States.”said, for his part, Chris Garbutt, Co-President of Virtue Worldwide.

The campaign, activated a few weeks ago, has reached, as shared by the agency, to 4.5 million Americans, both on social networks and through outdoor activations. They point out that it has generated a 56% increase in visits to the Wikimedia Foundation website.