“Bots Help Build Knowledge: How AI Expanded Wikipedia’s Reach in Other Languages 2025”
In the age of artificial intelligence, we’re constantly discovering new ways technology can support human creativity, accelerate learning, and bridge cultural gaps. One of the most compelling examples of this is happening right under our noses—on Wikipedia. While many people know it as a collaborative online encyclopedia powered by thousands of human volunteers, a surprising twist in its growth story reveals that bots, not humans, have been responsible for a significant expansion—especially in non-English versions.
The expansion of Wikipedia into non-English languages has taken a remarkable turn with article count—not through thousands of human contributors but largely due to a single bot named Lsjbot. Created by Swedish physicist Sverker Johansson, Lsjbot was designed to generate short, the help of bots, demonstrating how artificial intelligence can play a transformative role in global knowledge sharing. A standout example is the Cebuano edition of Wikipedia, which became one of the largest versions of articles by pulling structured data from reliable databases, such as geographic, biological, and statistical sources.
This approach allowed for the rapid creation of millions of entries in Cebuano, a language spoken by over 20 million people in the Philippines, yet underrepresented online. The project showcased how automation can fill significant linguistic and informational gaps, especially for communities with limited digital content. However, this method also raised important questions about the quality and depth of machine-generated content, as many of the articles are basic stubs lacking in cultural context or human nuance. Still, the impact is undeniable: where once there was little to no information available in Cebuano on many global topics, there is now a vast library of knowledge waiting to be explored and expanded by human editors.
This experiment set the stage for what’s now possible with generative AI—ushering in a new era where machines can assist in the early stages of content creation, allowing humans to refine, enrich, and localize information for broader audiences. As AI tools become more advanced, the potential to replicate this model across other underrepresented languages could make the dream of truly universal access to knowledge much more achievable.
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The Unsung Heroes of Wikipedia: Bots
Wikipedia bots, or automated programs, have been quietly supporting the platform for years. From correcting grammar and formatting errors to reverting vandalism and tagging articles, bots help keep the ecosystem healthy and efficient. But one bot, in particular, has made headlines for going above and beyond: creating entire articles.
Yes, full-length Wikipedia entries.
One of the largest non-English versions of Wikipedia—the Cebuano Wikipedia, written in a regional language of the Philippines—has been almost entirely built by a single bot called Lsjbot, developed by Swedish physicist Sverker Johansson. As of today, Cebuano Wikipedia contains millions of articles, making it one of the biggest editions worldwide by sheer article count.
Why Cebuano? And Why Use a Bot?
The decision to use a bot to generate articles wasn’t random. The Cebuano-speaking community, though large, doesn’t have the same number of Wikipedia editors as English or Spanish-speaking populations. Johansson saw an opportunity to enrich the language’s online presence using automation. By pulling structured data from reliable sources like official statistics and databases (e.g., species databases, geographical data), Lsjbot created stubs—short entries—that could be later expanded by humans.
The result? Instant access to information that simply didn’t exist in that language before.
For people who speak Cebuano, this was a game changer. Suddenly, there was a wealth of content about cities, animals, plants, and historical events in their native tongue, accessible for research, education, or curiosity.
The Impact of Generative AI on Knowledge Access
Bots like Lsjbot were early forerunners of the generative AI boom we’re experiencing now. With the rise of more sophisticated tools like ChatGPT, Bard, and Claude, we’re beginning to see a shift in how content is created, curated, and translated across the web.
For Wikipedia, this presents both opportunity and challenge.
Opportunities:
- Language inclusion: AI can help create content in underrepresented languages at scale, democratizing knowledge access globally.
- Filling knowledge gaps: Topics that may be overlooked by human editors—due to lack of interest, time, or resources—can be covered quickly by AI tools.
- Efficiency and updates: Bots can rapidly update outdated content, ensuring that information stays current and accurate.
Challenges:
- Accuracy and sourcing: Automated content must be backed by verifiable sources. Generative AI can sometimes “hallucinate” facts.
- Quality vs. quantity: Millions of articles are impressive, but are they useful if they’re shallow or lack nuance?
- Community trust: Wikipedia has always valued human oversight and peer-reviewed editing. Relying too much on AI could alienate contributors who value traditional editorial practices.
The Human-AI Partnership: Finding Balance
The key to a sustainable future for Wikipedia lies not in replacing human editors with machines but in augmenting their capabilities. Bots can take care of the tedious groundwork, creating skeletons of articles from factual databases. Then, human editors can step in to flesh them out with context, cultural nuance, and deeper insights.
This kind of collaboration ensures that content is both scalable and meaningful.
Moreover, as AI becomes better at understanding and translating across languages, we may also see improved synchronization between different language editions of Wikipedia. Imagine an in-depth English article about climate change instantly spawning high-quality equivalents in Swahili, Tagalog, or Icelandic—accessible and understandable to millions more people worldwide.
The Future of Knowledge Sharing
Wikipedia has always been a bold experiment: a free encyclopedia written and maintained by volunteers around the globe. The integration of bots and generative AI marks the next phase in that evolution—one that could make knowledge more inclusive, timely, and far-reaching than ever before.
Bots have already proven they can build. Now, the challenge is making sure what they build is used wisely, edited thoughtfully, and read widely.
After all, the goal isn’t just more content. It’s better access to human knowledge, in every language.
