Wikimedia has experienced a 50% increase in bandwidth usage since January 2024, primarily driven by automated AI crawlers scraping their content rather than increased human traffic. This surge in bot activity can lead to slower access for users, especially during peak interest times. Although Wikimedia is equipped to handle human traffic spikes, 65% of the increased traffic is from bots accessing obscure content, straining resources and presenting operational challenges for their Site Reliability team.
Wikimedia reported a 50% bandwidth increase due to AI crawlers scraping content, causing potential slowdowns for human users, indicating a significant shift in usage patterns.
The foundation emphasized that while human traffic is manageable, the unprecedented load from scraper bots is causing serious risks and operational costs.
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