Wikipedia in the Future

''' Rise of Big Data Companies

Mary Meeker talked about the rise in the mobile and desktop advertising industry. This causes a rise in Big data companies. Big data management is a growing field, and as there are more and more available information, a structured database is needed. The true feature of Wikipedia is not in its content or hyperlinks, but in having an established and structured method of organizing all the information in the site. No other website has Wikipedia’s abundance of information and intricacy in organizing their information as of yet.

Examples of Wikipedia organization structures:

 Wikipedia's Role in developing a Knowledge-Based API in AI 

Bezos mentioned that in the future different kinds of AI that will offer a diversity of services to users can be developed. The long-term vision to develop a knowledge base API in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning that Bezos envisioned can also be realized by the aid of Wikipedia.

The development of knowledge based APIs does not have to be by feeding information from Wikipedia, but following guidelines and standards of a certain subject topic in Wikipedia.

For example, the Wikipedia article “List of Chess Openings” will outline which Chess Openings that a Chess Playing AI must train. In addition, Wikipedia’s catalog further displays topics related to Chess that the AI might want to learn.

The way the site organizes its information effectively and attractively is why while the information in Wikipedia is not necessarily accurate, Wikipedia will still be useful.

 Wikipedia's Role in outlining Blind Spots and Trends 

Another example is Davos 2017, which is a meeting forum that talked about how the impact of technology on the future of work is polarized, and how to decode trends and blind spots in technology development. Wikipedia’s lists and catalogs will help sort out topics and issues. For addressing variousissues to the public and equipping knowledge-based APIs to AI, Wikipedia is helpful to make sure no controversial issue is excluded.  Wikipedia's Role in creating an Unbiased Viewpoint 

Of course, this does not mean that the articles in Wikipedia itself is not worth praising. Due to Wikipedia’s collaborative nature, Wikipedia’s articles link to more sources compared to a normal article in another site. Naturally, Wikipedia articles are more thorough in topics, touching a broader range of category. In topics that prompts ethical debates such as “Affective Computing”, an unbiased viewpoint is important. Therefore, Wikipedia articles are especially useful in helping develop technology because its thoroughness translates into security.

 Areas of Improvement for Wikipedia 

In the field of Internet of Things, Wikipedia has specific articles, such as “Internet Refrigerator” that mentions important security issues. Incidentally, this page has a catalog that links to other similar technology as well. Wikipedia articles that are too specific and unprotected may not have the thoroughness needed to provide security in the development of technology. Nevertheless, they can give a brief overview regarding a topic or issue.