Wikimedia Faces Bandwidth Surge of 50% Due to AI Scraping

Wikimedia Faces Bandwidth Surge of 50% Due to AI Scraping
The Wikimedia Foundation has reported a significant increase in bandwidth usage, surging by 50% since January 2024, due to AI bots scraping data from its platforms. This unlicensed activity has put a strain on their servers, as the majority of traffic is now driven by these bots rather than organic users. The organization highlights concerns over copyright infringement and privacy issues linked to such scraping practices. The rise of AI has transformed the landscape, with many companies facing similar challenges. Wikimedia's situation underscores the ongoing debate over data usage rights in the era of generative AI.