After a great start, day 2 of Wikimania 2025 focused on Product and Technology – how we build, improve, and adapt Wikimedia projects when tech all around us is changing faster than ever.
A highlight of the day was a keynote panel on artificial intelligence. Four speakers, including local computer science experts, spoke about how AI is changing the way we create, access, and share knowledge.
Speakers agreed that when creating AI models, it is important to consider sustainability, responsibility, and ethics. “The technology that we apply should solve a real problem. And we should be solving that real problem with the people who are going to use the solution, ” reiterated Selena Deckelmann.
Local researchers shared examples of how AI is used in the region and the importance of adopting a community-based approach to AI, especially since it is mostly shaped by Western ideas.
The conversation about AI continued throughout the day in the hallways but also in a well attended session about content reuse and the impact of crawlers on Wikimedia’s knowledge infrastructure.
Other sessions throughout the day also took on big product and tech questions, like how to improve Wikipedia’s reader experience and how to make the Community Wishlist more useful and rewarding for volunteers.
Adding to the dynamic exchange of ideas, the Lightning Talk Showcase, was a fun, fast-paced afternoon treat, filled with 5-minute lightning talks one after the other. In case you missed it today, make sure to watch the second lightning talk showcase tomorrow.
In between sessions, there were plenty of hallway debates, a big group photo, and a sweets table so popular it had to be moved (it’s now on the first floor!). And guess who else is also in Nairobi? Wiki Asteroids, a browser game where real-time Wikipedia edits become flying asteroids! Each time someone makes an edit, a big blue asteroid appears, depending on the edit size. Delete something? Red asteroid. New article? Extra life! If you are at Wikimania Nairobi, be on the lookout for it.
As we move to Day 3, we will listen to East African voices in the free knowledge movement and what we can learn from their experiences. Join us tomorrow for some more insightful sessions!
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