Most Popular Wikipedia Pages of 2023: ChatGPT, Oppenheimer, and Indian Entertainment Take the Lead
Wikipedia unveils the top 25 most viewed pages in 2023, featuring a diverse range of topics including AI, notable deaths, sports, films, business leaders, and current events
The top 25 most viewed pages on Wikipedia in 2023, which were released on Tuesday, reflect global interest in artificial intelligence innovation, notable deaths, and the increasing influence of Indian users on the platform. As of now, Wikipedia, managed by the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, has garnered over 84 billion page views in 2023, as per data shared with CNN by the foundation.
The Wikipedia page for OpenAI's virtual chatbot ChatGPT was the most viewed page this year, with over 49.4 million views. In February, ChatGPT achieved a record for the fastest-growing user base, reaching 100 million active users in January. Other tech companies have invested billions into developing competing generative AI technology, while related companies are producing semiconductor chips capable of powering future AI innovations and impacting geopolitical relationships among major global powers.
According to Anusha Alikhan, chief communications officer at the Wikimedia Foundation, "It's clear that people were interested in understanding the history and context behind ChatGPT's technology as they engaged with it." She shared this in an interview with CNN.
Alikhan emphasized that ChatGPT is trained using Wikipedia data, sourced from Wikimedia projects, to effectively respond to user queries. The human-curated content from Wikipedia influences the chatbot's responses to users. "Wikipedia is crucial for training nearly all major language models," Alikhan added.
She mentioned that due to the organization's nonprofit status, they do not bill OpenAI for content usage. This also explains why the company lacks ads or tracking of user data.
Rounding out the top five on ChatGPT were biographical posts about individuals who passed away in 2023, the 2023 Cricket World Cup, the Indian Premier League (a cricket league), and the film "Oppenheimer."
The media from India and Southeast Asia had a significant influence on the 2023s list, with 20% of the content originating from this region. Alikhan noted that India currently has around 4,700 active English Wikipedia volunteer editors, ranking behind only the United States and the United Kingdom in terms of volunteer editors. He also highlighted India's rich media environment and robust information technology sector.
With India on track to surpass China as the world's most populous country, its influence on global media is growing. Meanwhile, China's government has banned access to Wikipedia on the country's internet. Additionally, the number of active internet users in India is projected to rise to 900 million from the current 759 million, according to the Internet and Mobile Association of India and market data analytics firm Kantar.
India's strong performance in the 2023 Cricket World Cup captured the attention of millions, with top-order batter Virat Kohli being named player of the series. The Wikipedia entry for the tournament attracted over 38 million page views.
India's Virat Kohli was at the batting crease during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup India 2023 Final against Australia at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19, 2023. The match was captured by Gareth Copley/Getty Images.
Alikhan noted that Cricket-related articles had made their first appearance in the top 25 of Wikipedia's annual rankings since 2015. The Indian Premier League, a Twenty20 Men's Cricket league, was featured twice, with the league's page receiving over 32 million views and the 2023 season page receiving more than 20 million.
The Wikipedia pages for two action films from Bollywood, "Jawan" and "Pathaan," have surpassed highly-grossing American films like "Barbie" and "Avatar: The Way of Water" in terms of page views. Despite "Barbie" raking in over $1.4 billion at the global box office and "Oppenheimer" bringing in more than $950 million, the Indian films have received more attention on Wikipedia.
A patron buys a movie ticket underneath a marquee featuring the films "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" at the Los Feliz Theatre, Friday, July 28, 2023, in Los Angeles.
The Oppenheimer film garnered over 28 million page views, with the page dedicated to real-life physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer himself receiving 25.6 million views, and the Barbie film receiving 18 million.
The list included influential figures in sports, entertainment, and business such as Taylor Swift, Elon Musk, and Lionel Messi. Their prominence was reflected in the high number of views on their Wikipedia pages. Swift's music and successful Eras Tour and concert film continue to dominate the charts, while Musk's controversial social media posts, public comments, and business decisions keep him at the center of attention. Messi made his debut as captain for the Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.
Other less popular subjects and events also made it onto the list. Despite being somewhat overshadowed by the war in Gaza, Russia's invasion of Ukraine garnered nearly 12.8 million views on Wikipedia. The Hamas attack on Israel, which ignited a new chapter in the long-standing conflict, occurred later in the year on October 7th, which may be why it didn't make the list in comparison to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began in February of 2022.
Andrew Tate, a self-proclaimed misogynist influencer, was the last on the list. He has been accused of rape and human trafficking in Romania, and his page has received over 12.7 million views. After being re-platformed on X, formerly Twitter, following Musks ownership of the social media site, Tate's presence has prompted educators, police, human rights advocates, and politicians to warn against his influence on youth, especially young men.
A full list of pages, by rank and number of page views is available below.
1. ChatGPT, 49,490,406 page views
2. Deaths in 2023, 42,666,860
3. 2023 Cricket World Cup, 38,171,653
4. Indian Premier League, 32,012,810
5. Oppenheimer (film), 28,348,248
6. Cricket World Cup, 25,961,417
7. J. Robert Oppenheimer, 25,672,469
8. Jawan (film), 21,791,126
9. 2023 Indian Premier League, 20,694,974
10. Pathaan (film), 19,932,509
11. The Last of Us (TV series), 19,791,789
12. Taylor Swift, 19,418,385
13. Barbie (film), 18,051,077
14. Cristiano Ronaldo, 17,492,537
15. Lionel Messi, 16,623,630
16. Premier League, 16,604,669
17. Matthew Perry, 16,454,666
18. United States, 16,240,461
19. Elon Musk, 14,370,395
20. Avatar: The Way of Water, 14,303,116
21. India, 13,850,178
22. Lisa Marie Presley, 13,764,007
23.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, 13,392,917
24. Russian invasion of Ukraine, 12,798,866
25. Andrew Tate, 12,728,616
