On a new episode of ID the Future, Nathan Jacobson and I continue our conversation with Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger. In this segment, Sanger explains how his philosophy to decentralize the world’s knowledge plays into science and truth-seeking in the age of AI. He talks about the shortcomings of large language models and why humans are irreplaceable and essential to increasing our understanding of the world. Sanger also discusses the challenges that online encyclopedias like Wikipedia have faced in accurately and fairly reflecting controversial or important topics …

Sanger explains Wikipedia’s early attempts to reflect a neutral point of view. As he points out, these methods attempted to reflect the consensus of multiple points of view through a process of compromise and mutual respect. “This was the initial dream,” says Sanger, “but it was just a dream…Wikipedia does not work that way anymore at all.”

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What went wrong with Wikipedia — and can it be fixed? Many people may be unaware of Wikipedia’s biases because they simply never hear information that is omitted both by mainstream media and by Wikipedia. Despite its neutrality claims, Wikipedia often refuses to use sources that may be the only ones providing accurate information on some sensitive topics.

This article by Andrew McDiarmid is reprinted with permission from Evolution News.