WikiExplorers Adventure: Who Writes the World's Story?

WikiExplorers Adventure: Who Writes the World's Story?

Ms. Rivers smiled as the WikiExplorers gathered around a table at the Schomburg library in Harlem.

"Today," she said, "we're going on a different kind of adventure. We won't need a plane or a train. We're going to discover where knowledge comes from!"

Kai raised his hand.

"Does ChatGPT know everything?"

Ms. Rivers laughed. "No. ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI tools learn from information that people have already written down. They can't learn stories that have never been shared."

Amina looked surprised.

"So where does the information come from?"

"Great question!" said Ms. Rivers. "Let's find out."

Stop and Think!

Imagine your grandmother knows an amazing story about growing up many years ago.

If no one writes it down, records it, or publishes it...

What could happen to that story?

Think about your answer before reading on.

Ms. Rivers continued.

"Wikipedia is one of the world's biggest encyclopedias. But Wikipedia editors don't make up new facts. They read reliable books, newspapers, magazines, and other trusted sources. Then they write encyclopedia articles that summarize what those sources say."

"So," said Jordan, "Wikipedia is like a giant library helper!"

"Exactly!" Ms. Rivers replied.

Your Turn!

Match each person with what they do.

🎤 Interviewer

📚 Wikipedia editor

🤖 AI

👵 Elder

Can you match them?

Shares life experiences.

Asks questions and records stories.

Organizes information from reliable sources.

Helps people discover information.

(Answers: Elder, Interviewer, Wikipedia editor, AI)

Ms. Rivers held up a notebook.

"What if you interviewed your school crossing guard? Or your music teacher? Or someone who has lived in your neighborhood for fifty years?"

The children smiled.

"We could help save their stories!"

"Exactly," said Ms. Rivers. "Those interviews might become books, newspaper articles, museum exhibits, or even future Wikipedia articles."

WikiExplorer Mission!

This week, interview someone you know.

Ask questions like:

What was school like when you were my age?

What invention changed your life the most?

What is one lesson you hope children never forget?

Write down their answers or record the interview with permission.

Congratulations! You are helping preserve history for the future.

Remember:

People create knowledge.

Wikipedia organizes knowledge.

AI helps people discover knowledge.

And every great story begins with someone asking a question.

I hope this inspires you to become a real WikiExplorer!

Blog Article

Writing

Beyond AI: The Missing Piece Is Human Stories

When I attended Wikimania 2026 in Paris, one subject dominated nearly every conversation: generative artificial intelligence.

People talked about ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and the rapid changes taking place in the world of knowledge. Since these systems often use information that has been published online—including content from Wikipedia—it was natural to ask what role Wikipedia will play in the future.

But I came away thinking about a different question.

Who is creating tomorrow's knowledge?

Wikipedia editors are not creating new facts. Their job is to curate information from reliable published sources. They read books, newspapers, scholarly articles, and other trustworthy publications and summarize them for readers around the world.

AI systems also depend on published knowledge. If information has never been documented, it is far less likely to become part of our shared digital memory.

That is why I believe we have overlooked something important.

We need more people conducting thoughtful interviews.

We need bloggers who sit down with elders, educators, scientists, artists, neighborhood historians, and community organizers. We need people who ask meaningful questions, listen carefully, and publish what they learn.

Every interview becomes a small piece of history.

Some interviews may inspire newspaper articles. Others may become books, documentaries, podcasts, museum exhibits, or oral history collections. In time, some of that published work may even become reliable sources that Wikipedia editors can cite.

Knowledge follows a remarkable journey.

Someone lives an experience.

Someone else records the story.

The story is published.

Wikipedia summarizes it.

AI helps millions of people discover it.

Without that first step, the chain is broken.

As AI continues to evolve, the need for original reporting becomes even greater. The future will not be built only by better technology. It will also be built by people who preserve human experience before it disappears.

Perhaps this is the next great opportunity for bloggers.

Instead of simply reacting to the news, they can create the historical record that future generations—and future technologies—will depend on.

The future of AI does not begin with machines.

It begins with someone asking another person,

"Will you tell me your story?"