We all use Wikipedia, but in an internet being poisoned by AI garbage, can we still trust it? How does Wikipedia work anyway? What’s to stop someone vandalising it or inserting false information?

Mike will take you on a tour of Wikipedia, lift the lid on its volunteer-run immune system. He'll cover hoaxes large and small, including the young farmer from Dannevirke who got his name added to a Wikipedia list of mythical Japanese monsters, and the unexpected consequences.

Dr Mike Dickison did his PhD on giant flightless birds and has been a museum curator and digital librarian. He spends most of his time encouraging people to improve Wikipedia, but in this talk he’ll turn things around and discuss the grubby world of making it less accurate.