Research:Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
This page documents a research project in progress.
Information may be incomplete and change as the project progresses.
Please contact the project lead before formally citing or reusing results from this page.
The Lead: Introduce and describe your project at a high level in one or two paragraphs. Will the output of this project provide tangible benefits for our community (in the form of data, software, Web services)? If the output of this project mainly consists of scholarly publications, what aspects of Wikimedia projects will they help to understand
Methods
[edit]Describe in this section the methods you'll be using to conduct your research. If the project involves recruiting Wikimedia/Wikipedia editors for a survey or interview, please describe the suggested recruitment method and the size of the sample. Please include links to consent forms, survey/interview questions and user-interface mock-ups.
This research project examines how Wikipedians in Switzerland perceive and use artificial intelligence (AI) in their contributions to Wikipedia articles, particularly those related to scientific topics. As Wikipedia remains one of the world's most trusted sources of knowledge, understanding how its contributors engage with generative AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, and others) is crucial for maintaining content quality and reliability in the age of AI.The project will provide tangible benefits for the Wikimedia community by generating empirical data on AI adoption patterns, identifying training needs, documenting community attitudes toward AI integration, and informing policy discussions about AI use in Wikipedia. The research outputs will help the Wikimedia movement better understand how AI is reshaping knowledge creation and curation practices, enabling evidence-based decisions about AI guidelines and support structures for contributors.This study is part of the larger SNSF-funded project "Science Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence" (Project ID: 10003293), led by Prof. Dr. Mike Schäfer at the University of Zurich's Department of Communication and Media Research.
Timeline
[edit]Please provide in this section a short timeline with the main milestones and deliverables (if any) for this project.
- May 2025: Project start; survey development and finalization
- Q4 2025 - Q2 2026: Survey field phase - data collection via Wikipedia banners and Wikimedia CH networks
- Q2 2026: Data analysis of survey results
- Q3 2026: Follow-up interview recruitment and conduct
- 2026-2027: Continued analysis and publication of findings
- 2028: Final project synthesis and dissemination
- January 2029: Project completion
Policy, Ethics and Human Subjects Research
[edit]It's very important that researchers do not disrupt Wikipedians' work. Please add to this section any consideration relevant to ethical implications of your project or references to Wikimedia policies, if applicable. If your study has been approved by an ethical committee or an institutional review board (IRB), please quote the corresponding reference and date of approval.
Ethical Approval: The study has been exempted from ethical approval by the Ethics Review Board of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Zurich. This exemption recognizes the minimal risk nature of the survey research.
Participant Protection Measures:
- Voluntary participation: All participation is completely voluntary with no consequences for declining
- Right to withdraw: Participants may withdraw consent at any time without providing reasons
- Data minimization: Only data necessary for research purposes is collected
- Anonymization: All responses are pseudonymized; final publications will be fully anonymous
- Separate storage: Email addresses (if provided for follow-up) stored separately from survey data
- Age restriction: Only participants over 16 years of age may participate
- Optional questions: All survey questions can be skipped; "prefer not to say" options systematically included
Results
[edit]Describe the results and their implications here. We encourage you to share preliminary data. Don't forget to make status=complete above when you are done.
First results out: Wikipedians generally adopt a cautious, knowledgeable and thoughtful approach to AI, particularly when it comes to scientific information.
Resources
[edit]Provide links to presentations, blog posts, or other ways in which you disseminate your work.
Project Website: https://en.aiscicomm.ch/
Institutional Affiliations:
- University of Zurich, Department of Communication and Media Research (IKMZ)
- Wikimedia CH (project partner and supporter)