xAI has launched Grokipedia, an online encyclopedia designed to resemble Wikipedia. The site went live recently, featuring a homepage centered on a prominent search bar. Individual entries include headings, subheadings, and citations, similar to Wikipedia’s format. No images appear on the pages at this time.
Grokipedia does not yet support user edits. An edit button appears on select pages, but clicking it displays only pre-existing changes without identifying the authors or allowing new suggestions.
Each entry states that Grok, xAI’s large language model, has fact-checked the content. This claim draws scrutiny because large language models often generate inaccurate information, known as hallucinations. The entries do not specify when the fact-checking occurred.
Elon Musk, who founded xAI, described Grokipedia as a “massive improvement” over Wikipedia. However, examination reveals that several articles replicate Wikipedia content directly. For instance, the page on the MacBook Air includes a notice at the bottom: “The content is adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.”
This adaptation extends beyond paraphrasing in some cases. The PlayStation 5 page matches its Wikipedia version almost word-for-word and line-for-line. Similarly, the Lincoln Mark VIII page shows identical duplication, complete with the same licensing notice.
Lauren Dickinson, spokesperson for the Wikimedia Foundation, which operates Wikipedia, commented on the development. She told The Verge, “Even Grokipedia needs Wikipedia to exist.”
This issue echoes a prior incident involving xAI’s technology. Last month, Musk responded to a user on X who noted that Grok cited Wikipedia pages. Musk stated, “we should have this fixed by end of year.”
Not every Grokipedia article copies from Wikipedia. Differences emerge in sensitive topics. Both sites cover climate change, but their approaches diverge. Wikipedia’s entry states: “There is a nearly unanimous scientific consensus that the climate is warming and that this is caused by human activities. No scientific body of national or international standing disagrees with this view.”
In contrast, Grokipedia’s climate change entry uses “unanimous” in a single paragraph: “Critics contend that claims of near-unanimous scientific consensus on anthropogenic causes dominating recent climate change overstate agreement due to selective categorization in literature reviews.” The entry further suggests that media and organizations like Greenpeace contribute to “heightened public alarm” through “coordinated efforts to frame the issue as an existential imperative, influencing public discourse and policy without always grounding in proportionate empirical evidence.”
A ticker on Grokipedia’s homepage reports over 885,000 articles. Wikipedia, by comparison, hosts around 7 million English-language pages. Grokipedia operates in an initial phase, labeled as version 0.1.
The article, written by Jay Peters, a senior reporter at The Verge covering technology and gaming, appeared on October 28, 2025, at 3:46 AM GMT+3. Peters joined The Verge in 2019 after working nearly two years at Techmeme.
Dickinson provided a full statement to The Verge:
“We’re still in the process of understanding how Grokipedia works. Since 2001, Wikipedia has been the backbone of knowledge on the internet. Hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation, it remains the only top website in the world run by a nonprofit. Unlike newer projects, Wikipedia’s strengths are clear: it has transparent policies, rigorous volunteer oversight, and a strong culture of continuous improvement. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, written to inform billions of readers without promoting a particular point of view.
Wikipedia’s knowledge is – and always will be – human. Through open collaboration and consensus, people from all backgrounds build a neutral, living record of human understanding – one that reflects our diversity and collective curiosity. This human-created knowledge is what AI companies rely on to generate content; even Grokipedia needs Wikipedia to exist.
Wikipedia’s nonprofit independence — with no ads and no data-selling — also sets it apart from for-profit alternatives. All of these strengths have kept Wikipedia a top trusted resource for more than two decades.
Many experiments to create alternative versions of Wikipedia have happened before; it doesn’t interfere with our work or mission. As we approach Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary, Wikipedia will continue focusing on providing free, trustworthy knowledge built by its dedicated volunteer community. For more information about how Wikipedia works, visit our website and new blog series.”
Grokipedia’s launch highlights ongoing tensions between AI-driven projects and established knowledge platforms like Wikipedia. The site’s reliance on Wikipedia content underscores the challenges in creating independent encyclopedic resources using AI tools.
Despite the copying concerns, Grokipedia positions itself as an evolving platform. Its basic design and limited features indicate room for development. The version 0.1 label signals that xAI plans further iterations.
Musk’s acknowledgment last month points to internal awareness of the Wikipedia dependency. His timeline for resolution—by the end of the year—suggests upcoming changes to source materials or generation methods.
The climate change entry exemplifies how Grokipedia may introduce alternative perspectives. This approach could appeal to users seeking diverse viewpoints but raises questions about neutrality and sourcing.
Wikimedia’s response emphasizes Wikipedia’s human-centric model. The foundation’s nonprofit status and volunteer-driven process contrast with AI-generated content, which Dickinson notes depends on Wikipedia’s foundational work.
As Grokipedia grows, its article count of over 885,000 lags behind Wikipedia’s 7 million English pages. This gap illustrates the scale of building a comprehensive encyclopedia from scratch.
Users accessing Grokipedia encounter a familiar interface but limited interactivity. The absence of photos and editable content keeps the site in a read-only state for now.
The fact-checking claims by Grok add another layer. While intended to build trust, the known limitations of large language models invite caution from readers.
Overall, Grokipedia’s debut combines innovation with imitation, drawing from Wikipedia while aiming to differentiate through AI integration.
