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Major technology companies including Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Perplexity and Mistral AI are now paying the Wikimedia Foundation for access to Wikipedia articles and other resources, following Google’s lead in supporting the nonprofit organization.
The Wikimedia Foundation revealed these new partnerships during celebrations marking Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary on Thursday. The arrangements fall under the Wikimedia Enterprise initiative, which debuted in 2021 to provide businesses with a customized, paid version of Wikipedia’s application programming interface designed specifically for commercial applications and artificial intelligence development.
Lane Becker, senior director of earned revenue at the Wikimedia Foundation, explained that the program adapts Wikipedia’s data to meet the unique requirements of partner companies. This includes incorporating requested features and organizing information in formats that align with their operational needs, as he shared in an interview.
According to the foundation, Microsoft, Perplexity and Mistral AI signed on during the past year. Meta and Amazon were already participants, though their involvement had not been disclosed publicly before now. Revenue from these agreements helps fund the foundation’s ongoing efforts to maintain and expand its open-access projects, promoting greater financial stability for the organization.
Becker emphasized the mutual benefits, noting that artificial intelligence firms rely heavily on Wikipedia’s reliable content. Supporting the platform’s longevity is essential not only for the foundation’s future but also for the success of these technology providers. For more details on the announcement, visit the Wikimedia Foundation’s news page.
