Bots Are Waging Passive-Aggressive War on Wikipedia: A Study of AI Conflict
Bots are a valuable resource on Wikipedia, tackling tasks like vandalism detection and link insertion. However, even these helpful programs can clash, constantly reverting each other’s edits, sometimes for years. This seemingly insignificant conflict is not a war but rather a persistent struggle, similar to disagreements over the thermostat at home.
Researchers have observed this phenomenon over a decade, finding that bot activity differs significantly from human behavior. Bots, due to their simple functionality, lack real understanding of their actions, often cancelling each other out with no net change. Conversely, humans, driven by specific goals, tend to make significant changes with little response from others.
The study also highlighted geographical variations. While English Wikipedia boasts the largest bot population, Portuguese bots exhibited the most frequent reverts. The reverts per bot averaged 32 for German bots, but surged to 188 for Portuguese bots, indicating a more confrontational environment.
The researchers acknowledge the limited impact of these conflicts, due to Wikipedia’s well-controlled environment. However, they stress the importance of understanding such interactions, especially in less controlled settings. Their research emphasizes the need to design cooperative bots capable of managing disagreements and preventing unproductive conflict.
