Hello everyone,
We’re excited to announce the re-launch of the *Wikimedia Research Fellows
Program*.
Our team has had a research fellow for several years, but following
internal discussions and feedback from the community, we wanted to
formalize the program and make it more accessible. This re-launch allows us
to clarify expectations, publicize the program widely, and ensure
transparency for all applicants.
The program supports early-career researchers who want to make Wikimedia
projects a sustained focus of their research work. Fellows receive
mentorship, opportunities to contribute to high-impact areas of the
Wikimedia movement, and a platform to connect their research with
real-world challenges. We welcome applications from researchers across
disciplines and regions and applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis.
Learn more and apply here:
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Research/Wikimedia_Research_Fellow…
.
If you have any questions or feedback, please get in touch with us at
research-wmf(a)lists.wikimedia.org or on the discussion page of the program's
public page.
Warm regards,
Kinneret
--
Kinneret Gordon
Lead Research Community Officer
Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>
*Learn more about Wikimedia Research <https://research.wikimedia.org/>*
Seconding Galder in bringing this important research finding to wider
attention (CCing the Wiki-research list as well).
If I may, we also just covered this in the new Signpost with some
additional context and detail that some here might find interesting:
"Wikimedia Foundation reports 8% traffic drop since last year due to 'the
impact of generative AI and social media'"
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2025-10-20/In_th…>
.[1]
As mentioned there, the problem of quantifying the impact of generative AI
on Wikipedia readership has already attracted considerable attention by
academic researchers in the almost three years since ChatGPT launched. I
even think it's safe to say that many might regard it as one of the most
important research questions about Wikipedia and AI currently.[2]
However, the academic research publications about this - admittedly
difficult - topic have been a bit of a mixed bag so far
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Research:Newsletter/2025/March#So_again,_wh…>.
(Even what I would regard as the best paper among these, which Mako and I
also chose to highlight in our annual "State of Wikimedia Research
2024-2025" talk at Wikimania this year, still has some potential statistical
shortcomings
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Wikipedia_Signpost/2025-03-22/…>.
And I am not aware of much peer-reviewed insight that goes beyond
the early-years ChatGPT.)
So it's great to see that the Wikimedia Foundation has now itself jumped
into this breach. It is evidently well positioned to do so. Not just
because it has potentially useful internal data that was not available to
the aforementioned external researchers (say referrer information
<https://wikitech.wikimedia.org/wiki/Data_Platform/Data_Lake/Traffic/Pagevie…>,
or now also the data derived from the unique reader cookies WMF introduced
earlier this year, which enable better but still relatively
privacy-friendly tracking of Wikipedia readers). But also e.g. because of
the foundational work <https://research.wikimedia.org/foundational.html> its
own researchers already did some years ago on "Detecting and Gauging Impact
on Wikipedia Page Views" (IMO a paper worth looking at for anyone
investigating such questions).
Unfortunately though, Marshall Miller's Diff post doesn't contain any
concrete information about the methodology used to causally attribute the
drop to those two factors, nor any links to further details. Can we expect
the underlying statistical analysis to be published soon? It would also be
interesting to know e.g. each factor's share in this 8% drop (is it say 7%
from AI vs. 1% from social media, or vice versa?) Or, to circle back a
little towards Galder's points, whether different Wikipedia languages were
affected differently, etc.
Regards, Tilman
[1[ Alongside a somewhat related story
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2025-10-20/In_th…>
about
a certain well-known US entrepreneur trying to replace Wikipedia with a new
AI-based encyclopedia, also mentioning some similar but less well-known
efforts.
[2] For some reason though, this central research question didn't make it
into the list
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence/Bellagio_2024> of
research directions about the implications of AI for the knowledge commons
that was drafted at the February 2024 Bellagio symposium convened by the
Wikimedia Foundation. But as we heard recently on this mailing list
<https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org…>,
the WMF research department is still working on getting a fuller
documentation of that event's outcomes ready for publication. (At that
point we will hopefully also see an attempt to solicit wider input on this
draft agenda, from other researchers and the editor community, the latter
appearing particularly relevant as the project's stated purpose is to
convey "vital questions volunteer contributors have raised"). And in any
case, it or some of its colleagues have evidently now tackled this research
question themselves.
On Mon, Oct 20, 2025 at 11:46 PM Galder Gonzalez Larrañaga <
galder158(a)hotmail.com> wrote:
> Dear wikimedians,
> I recommend reading the very interesting diff post by Marshall Miller
> about new user trends on Wikipedia:
> https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/10/17/new-user-trends-on-wikipedia/. The
> post talks about two main trends affecting our views: AI summaries and
> video consumption by new generations. We don't have a good solution about
> the first one, but I would like to talk about the second one, because in
> the Basque Wikimedians User Group we have been working on this for some
> years now, and I think our experience can be part of the solution.
>
> Five years ago we detected this trend and saw that, while there was a rise
> on educative/informative videos for learning, those videos were mainly done
> in English or hegemonic languages. Students and teachers were using videos
> more than ever, but those videos weren't free nor in Basque. That's why we
> created the platform Ikusgela on wiki and external media channels (Wiki
> platform: https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari:Hezkuntza/Ikusgela, other
> links to social media and video platforms there)
>
> After four years creating videos we have nearly 250 free educative videos
> in Basque, many of those subtitled in other languages. We cover topics from
> philosophy to evolution, from literature to basic science. And now we are
> publishing an average of 2 new videos per week. We are now working on two
> new series about migrations/rights and linguistics. The videos have
> received the highest award in the Basque Country for communications and are
> used now in education by teachers in many schools and MOOCs. More than 540
> articles in Wikipedia have a video from Ikusgela available, with many more
> to come this school year.
>
> Making good quality videos is expensive, and we are making this in our own
> with our funding and from competitive grants. However, once the videos are
> made, remaking those in other languages should be cheaper. Building the
> videos together is also cheaper than doing it alone. If your chapter or
> user group is interested on that, let me know and we can make things
> together.
>
> We, Basque Wikimedians, saw how this trend was coming and worked to take
> advantage from it, instead of seeing how it decreases our relevancy. I hope
> efforts from the WMF and other affiliates can go in the direction of
> multimedia soon.
>
> Best,
>
> Galder
>
> _______________________________________________
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> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l
> Public archives at
> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org…
> To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave(a)lists.wikimedia.org
>
We are pleased to invite applications for a 4-year PhD position at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR). The position is jointly funded by the Faculty of Social Sciences/HKU Research Hub of Population Studies, and the Department of Digital and Computational Demography at MPIDR.
The University of Hong Kong is widely considered one of the top universities in Asia and in the world. The HKU Research Hub of Population Studies, launched by the Faculty of Social Sciences, aims to provide an understanding of local, national, regional, and international demographic patterns. The Hub focuses on multi-disciplinary research concerning various population-related issues and public policy, addressing the global needs for theoretical, methodological, and practical advancements in population and health research, building upon the expertise of academics across the Faculty of Social Science.
The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) is one of the world’s leading demographic research centres. Institute scientists advance fundamental research in areas related to migration, longevity, and fertility, and study issues of policy relevance, such as demographic change, aging, health, intergenerational transfers, as well as the digitalization of life.
Methodologically, they use novel data sources and advanced statistical and computational methods for understanding demographic dynamics. The MPIDR is part of the Max Planck Society, a network of more than 80 institutes that form Germany’s premier basic-research organization. Max Planck Institutes have an established record of world-class, foundational research in the sciences, technology, social sciences and the humanities. They offer a unique environment that combines the best aspects of an academic setting and a research laboratory.
This PhD position is an excellent opportunity for highly-motivated and qualified candidates who are interested in the opportunities offered by the best of both worlds: a world-class university in Asia, and top-notch research institute in Europe. Upon successfully completing the PhD position, the applicant will be awarded a degree from HKU, having gained significant experience in conducting demographic research abroad.
More information can be found on our website: https://www.demogr.mpg.de/en/career_6122/jobs_fellowships_1910/university_o…
--
This mail has been sent through the MPI for Demographic Research. Should you receive a mail that is apparently from a MPI user without this text displayed, then the address has most likely been faked. If you are uncertain about the validity of this message, please check the mail header or ask your system administrator for assistance.
Hello all,
The October 2025 Research Showcase will be live-streamed next Wednesday,
October 15, at 9:30 AM PT / 16:30 UTC. Find your local time here
<https://zonestamp.toolforge.org/1760545800>. Our theme this month is
*Celebrating
13 Years: Wikidata’s Role in Learning and Culture*.
*We invite you to watch via the YouTube
stream: https://www.youtube.com/live/3NMOvOUCd8Q
<https://www.youtube.com/live/3NMOvOUCd8Q>.* As always, you can join the
conversation in the YouTube chat as soon as the showcase goes live.
This month's presentations:
Lessons learned from a decade of implementing Wikidata into AcademiaBy *Shani
Evenstein-Sigaltov (University of London; Wikimedia Foundation Board of
Trustees)*The presentation will cover lessons learned from over a decade of
working with Wikidata in Academia from 3 complementary perspectives: 1)
Teaching: implementing Wikidata into the academic curriculum of a
for-credit elective course; 2) Research: A PhD research exploring Wikidata
as a learning platform; 3) Outreach: using Wikidata / Wikibase as a
platform for preserving academic heritage. The presentation will conclude
with a note to the future, and current work exploring how GenAI could be
harnessed to help cultural and academic heritage institutions preserve
knowledge through LOD platforms like Wikidata.
Using Wikidata in GLAM Institutions: a Labs ApproachBy *Gustavo Candela
(University of Alicante)*GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums)
organisations host extensive digital collections that have been made
available to the public for over three decades. Advances in technology have
facilitated the reuse of digital collections as rich data sources. In this
context, Wikidata has emerged as a leading, innovative, and collaborative
platform that enriches the digital collections provided by GLAM
institutions. However, a comprehensive analysis of the current status,
potential and challenges of its use in the GLAM sector was still lacking.
This presentation will introduce an overview of Wikidata use in GLAM
institutions within the context of the work of the International GLAM Labs
Community (glamlabs.io). This work was presented in 2024 at the TPDL
conference. Looking into the future, in this talk we will describe
additional research topics and discuss how Wikidata will continue to play a
central role in GLAM.
Looking forward to seeing many of you,
Kinneret
--
Kinneret Gordon
Lead Research Community Officer
Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>
*Learn more about Wikimedia Research <https://research.wikimedia.org/>*
Dear Wiki Researchers,
Maybe you know or not, but we are intending to submit an EU COST Action
<https://www.cost.eu/> at the end of the month to support a network of
Academic Wikimedians, especially to host meetings and develop additional
grants in the future. Here
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D6Thim7W8xRO0q1f1wUcS3acWz7QC_HZDWhgHVZ…>
is the draft along with last year's version and the feedback we got, which
we think was good enough to try again.
Technically we have enough people (need people from minimum 7 nations) and
more than last year (about 20 so far). But, *given that the project is
intended to mostly support young researchers, women, and also people from
inclusiveness countries,* who can also be more difficult to reach, we put
out another broad call also for suggestions e.g., phd students, or ways to
get in contact with such people.
--
Additionally, i want to point out that i tried to contact some of you
through the research person's databases, but it is very difficult to find
emails for you and in some cases they bounced, so I ask you to reach out
here if you want to be involved or know more.
Finally and as always, we also welcome and encourage you to join the
WikiScience
Hub <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Science_Hub>, which is an outgrowth of
the COST action application from last year.
Thank you,
Brett and all other COST Action/ ScienceHub team members
Hi Maryana,
On Thu, Feb 29, 2024 at 9:04 AM Maryana Iskander <miskander(a)wikimedia.org>
wrote:
> This message will be translated into other languages on Meta-wiki
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chi…>
>
> العربية • español • français • português • Deutsch• 中文
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chi…>
>
> You can help with more languages
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chi…>
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> Since joining the Foundation I have tried to regularly write to you
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Chi…>
> here and elsewhere, and I wanted to share a few updates since my last
> letter. In October 2023
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Com…>,
> I reflected that we were in a period of compounded challenges across the
> world with escalating wars, conflict, and climate reminding us each week
> that global volatility and uncertainty was on the rise. That feels even
> more true now. My instinct then was to ask us to make more time to talk to
> each other and to try and pull closer together. This feels even more needed
> now.
>
> [...]
>
> Finally, our human-led values came up in several conversations about
> Wikimedia’s role in shaping the next generation of artificial intelligence,
> a topic of ongoing discussion in the world
> <https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/18/magazine/wikipedia-ai-chatgpt.html?unloc…>,
> in our communities <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Future_Audiences>
> , and at the Foundation. This is complemented by ongoing discussions
> about the role of AI-generated content on our platform by various project
> communities.
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Large_language_model_policy)>
> A recent effort to contribute to a shared research agenda on AI
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Artificial_intelligence/…>can
> be found here – including the need for more research to understand human
> motivation to contribute to the knowledge commons – it was created by a
> small group working in the open who rushed to publish a ‘bad first draft’
> that will benefit from more input.
> <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Talk:Artificial_intellig…>
>
> Thank you for acknowledging the limitations of this document. As we also
noted in the Signpost
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2024-03-02/News_…>
at the time, there was indeed some consternation about the lack of
involvement of the volunteer community:
*"While the announcement appears to be speaking on behalf of 'volunteer
contributors', the 'Wikimedians' involved in drafting the document appears
to have consisted exclusively of Wikimedia Foundation staff (largely from
its Research department), according to the attendee list."*
I have to ask though, are there still plans to solicit wider input on this
draft agenda, or at least incorporate more from the numerous related
discussions on AI that have been happening across the movement over the
last several years? (At
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence , some editors
including myself have been trying to keep a list of relevant links, but
it's surely not complete.) Again, I appreciate that your post here invited
"more input" on the agenda's talk page. But it seems that only a single
topic was added there afterwards, and in any case no content updates
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Artificial_intelligence/Bellag…>
have been made to that "bad first draft" since February 2024.
Relatedly, given that the document states that *"Our hope is that many
researchers across industry, government, and nonprofit organizations will
adopt the final research agenda to help support and guide their own
research"*:
Are there plans to solicit input from such external researchers on the
draft? And once this research agenda is finalized, does the Foundation plan
to bring it to their attention? It doesn't seem to have made such efforts
yet, e.g. I can't find any mention
<https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/search?mlist=wiki-research-l%40lists…>
of
it on the Wiki-research-l mailing list (CCing it now).
I thought that maybe this Bellagio document had been a tangential one-off
to make use of an external funding opportunity, and had been abandoned
afterwards. But then I saw that more recently Selena highlighted it in
the "Reflections
on 2025 from the Wikimedia Foundation Executive Team"
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/01/29/reflections-on-2025-from-the-wikimedi…>
(as
the only concrete outcome regarding AI mentioned in this entire overview of
WMF accomplishments "Over the past year").
Regards, Tilman ([[User:HaeB]])
> [...]
>
> Maryana
>
>
> Maryana Iskander, Wikimedia Foundation CEO
>
>