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ChatGPT is Wikipedia’s most viewed subject of 2023

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ChatGPT sits atop the most viewed subjects on Wikipedia for 2023. Given the meteoric rise of OpenAI and generative AI in general, it’s hardly surprising.

The annual ranking of the most popular searches on Wikipedia is a solid indicator of what was big in the zeitgeist that year. Somewhat predictably, ChatGPT takes the cake for 2023.

Curious folk have visited the public-edited encyclopaedia some 84 billion times over the last 12 months, and ChatGPT was pulled from its online archives more than 49 million times.

Edging out ‘Deaths in 2023’ (42 million views), the Cricket World Cup, and the respective halves of Barbenheimer, the generative AI staple remained a constant source of interest throughout every season.

Since its debut just before the turn of the year, ChatGPT has gone from strength to strength, gradually hoovering up different industry-niches and expanding its recreational uses by the month.

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Following its January heyday of 100 million monthly users, which cemented ChatGPT as the fastest-growing consumer application ever, several iterations of its chatbot have rolled out in increasingly sophisticated forms.

Offering up a first real chance for the public to dabble in an exciting new technology, many of those allured by the prospect of instantly acing a dissertation, or creating original image designs – and everything in between – turned to the familiar hub of Wikipedia as their instruction manual.

November’s Silicon Valley debacle involving the hasty dismissal and subsequent reinstatement of OpenAI chief Sam Altman will no doubt have bumped the page count up significantly too. Ironically, people could have just asked ChatGPT why Altman had the weekend off.

Though the ethics surrounding AI are somewhat dubious and there’s no real consensus on where to draw the line with its development, this year’s winner is distinctly more tasteful than 2022’s

Following the release of Netflix’s harrowing DAHMER drama, morbid curiosity drove 54 million people to Wikipedia, no doubt to confirm that the #1 entry, Jeffrey Dahmer, actually did all that… stuff.

On a marginally less sinister note, Elon Musk returns to the top 15 for the third year running; his lengthy entry continuously growing with new success stories, and some notable failures (cough, Twitter).

Back to this year’s winner, though. It’s interesting to see a technological advancement buck the trend of a spectacle taking first place. Typically, a sporting event, blockbuster movie, or the odd heinous TV show has garnered the most attention.

I guess it’s testament to just how huge an impact generative AI has had, and will continue to have on our lives for the foreseeable future.

For now, Wikipedia chiefs will be hoping ChatGPT’s immense research capabilities don’t upend their business before the 2024 rankings. AI is coming for us all!

Tech Editor London, UK

I’m Jamie (He/Him), the Deputy Editor and a Senior Writer at Thred. Keeping up with social media updates and revolutionary technology is my forte, but when away from my keyboard, you’ll probably find me wrapped around a large Tango ice blast at the latest mediocre horror flick. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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