Small Edits, Large Models: How Wikipedia Advocacy Shapes LLM Values

Jul 14, 2026

A new study demonstrates that a small group of Wikipedia editors, known as the Pro-Animal Wikipedians (PAW), can significantly influence how large language models (LLMs) discuss animal welfare by making targeted Wikipedia edits. Using advanced attribution methods, researchers found that PAW-edited sections overwhelmingly dominate the most influential documents for animal welfare queries in Llama models, but not for unrelated topics. The study also showed that models fine-tuned on PAW content performed better on animal welfare text, confirming the targeted impact of these edits.

Why it matters: This research provides concrete evidence that small-scale, coordinated editing campaigns on Wikipedia can shape the outputs and values of large language models, raising concerns about the integrity and potential manipulation of training data.

Full story at: arXiv Computers and Society ↗