Denny Vrandečić's Avatar

Denny Vrandečić

@vrandecic

Husband. Dad. Abstract Wikipedia at WMF. Founder Wikidata. Previously: ontologist at Google, Wikimedia Trustee, RPG author. Q18618629. Views mine.

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18.11.2024
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Latest posts by Denny Vrandečić @vrandecic

@nataschastrobl.bsky.social erinnere ich mich falsch, oder war schon Teile der Diskussion zu Star Wars Episode VIII nicht auch als eine absichtliche Kampagne aufgezogen, und das wurde dann auch belegt? Wie ein Trainingsraum, quasi.

13.12.2025 13:12 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Well, it's really tight on the other side of the picture, left of Zuck

12.12.2025 14:15 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

"Doom scrolling" heißt auf Deutsch Dummscrollen, and I think that's beautiful.

#linguistics #translation #engdeu

13.11.2025 09:30 👍 5 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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@vrandecic.bsky.social founder of Wikidata shares the history of Wikipedia and Semantic Web. @iswc-conf.bsky.social

This example from early days a nod to his beautiful HR

04.11.2025 01:05 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Ilse Falls in the Harz National Park, Germany. Text says: Wikidata is now the second Wikimedia project recognized as a digital public good.

Ilse Falls in the Harz National Park, Germany. Text says: Wikidata is now the second Wikimedia project recognized as a digital public good.

Wikidata has been recognized as a digital public good by the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) 🎉

Learn how Wikidata, which houses over 1.6 billion facts, advances education, innovation, and public institutions ➡️ wikimediafoundation.org/news/2025/10...

29.10.2025 18:24 👍 136 🔁 36 💬 0 📌 0

That's not what I read. The failure comes from using the worldly success to dominate instead of using it to serve.

16.09.2025 06:00 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

"it is essential that LLMs allow their mediating function to prevail over unfounded claims of authority, and develop an ethic of self-denial, consciously sought vulnerability, and service."

16.09.2025 05:23 👍 18 🔁 3 💬 3 📌 0
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Wikipedia is under attack — and how it can survive The site’s volunteers face threats from Trump, billionaires, and AI.

A great article on Wikipedia and some of the big problems it is facing these days, also within the context of former events. If you hear about Wikipedia being biased, this article offers a great discussion about that.

www.theverge.com/cs/features/...

15.09.2025 11:48 👍 4 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0

Imagine a world in which everyone can share in the sum of all knowledge. I am thankful to the Wikimedia Movement for this amazing vision, and to be able to work on this. And thankful to the MacArthur Foundation for choosing us as one of the finalists for their incredible 100&Change grant.

11.09.2025 16:51 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Entering my "academic publishing is broken, so why don't we all just edit Wikipedia" era

04.04.2025 04:35 👍 25 🔁 3 💬 2 📌 1

Haven't heard of such a trial

14.06.2025 16:10 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I am only 35 minutes into watching this but the things he has been saying for the last five minutes are such a stinging rebuke to the entire USCCB that I am now even more certain that schism that's been brewing for a while will happen in the next decade

09.05.2025 04:39 👍 1000 🔁 213 💬 28 📌 29

Had a wonderful conversation with Larry, talking about Abstract Wikipedia, Wikidata, knowledge, and language barriers. Larry, thank you for having me over!

08.05.2025 15:46 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
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People Are Losing Loved Ones to AI-Fueled Spiritual Fantasies Marriages and families are falling apart as people are sucked into fantasy worlds of spiritual prophecy by AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT

It seems that chatting with AIs can either cause or trigger psychotic episodes

Please be careful. If you're using AI frequently, I suggest to tell someone you trust, ask them to keep an eye on you, and even allow them to access your chat log.

www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...

07.05.2025 20:45 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Thank you!

01.05.2025 04:45 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Abstract Wikipedia is a 100&Change finalist Wikimedia’s vision is a world in which everyone can share in the sum of all knowledge. And yet, some of the biggest challenges towards realizing this goal are the barriers that exist between our 30…

Abstract Wikipedia was selected as a finalist for the MacArthur Foundation's 100&Change competition.

diff.wikimedia.org/2025/04/30/a...

30.04.2025 20:46 👍 5 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 0
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Between the Brackets: a MediaWiki Podcast: Episode 180: Denny Vrandečić 🕑 2 hours 6 minutes Denny Vrandečić is the Head of Special Projects at the Wikimedia Foundation, as well as a visiting professor at King's College London. He is the is main creator of the Wikimedia si...

On the latest episode of "Between the Brackets", Yaron Koren hosts me for a chat about Wikifunctions, Abstract Wikipedia, Wikidata, AI, and much more. I hope you enjoy the episode. Thank you, Yaron, for hosting!

betweenthebrackets.libsyn.com/episode-180-...

14.04.2025 10:20 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Dr Denny Vrandečić - Knowledge in the Age of AI
Dr Denny Vrandečić - Knowledge in the Age of AI YouTube video by King's NMES

"Knowledge in the Age of AI" - recording of a talk at King's College London

youtu.be/2oFrs86xtco?...

11.04.2025 15:48 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Thank you!

11.04.2025 15:43 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

I am honored to be a visiting professor at King's College London. Thank you for the opportunity, and I'm looking forward to our work together!

11.04.2025 15:42 👍 7 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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30th WikiBirthday March 25, 2025 is the 30th birthday of the the WikiWikiWeb.

Today is the 30th anniversary of launching the first wiki by Ward Cunningham. A page that anyone could edit. Generally seen as a bad idea.

Originally to support software design patterns, wikis were used for many other goals (even an encyclopedia!)

Thank you, Ward!

wikiindex.org/w/30th_WikiB...

25.03.2025 13:00 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

h/t Dav Pilkey, "Dog Man: Big Jim begins" h/t my daughter

24.03.2025 09:01 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

"My feathered friend, your cage
must drive you to rage sometimes…
To think that you have aged
staring at nothing but beige walls
She says "you know, our lives
aren't so different as you would believe.
All are in prisons of some kind,
tethered by the stories that we weave."

Halie Loren: Yellow Bird

24.03.2025 09:00 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
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DCAI Webinar#4 Knowledge representation in the age of large language models

Listen to experts @vrandecic.bsky.social and @esimperl.bsky.social as they discuss large language models, knowledge graphs, and how we can use these novel and complementing technologies.
#Data #AI

17.03.2025 12:30 👍 13 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0

Just to sketch one approach, based on Germany's VG Wort:

They collect money for copy machines and other ways text is copied, and distribute it to copyright owners. Why not put a fee on chips used for training models and distribute the money to copyright owners? Simple approach. And just one idea.

14.03.2025 10:03 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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OpenAI declares AI race “over” if training on copyrighted works isn’t fair use National security hinges on unfettered access to AI training data, OpenAI says.

Same week:

OpenAI announces model "good at creative writing"

OpenAI says it needs for national security copyrighted texts for free and without restrictions

Project Stargate involving OpenAI was announced with $500 billion

Entire US book market revenue is $28 billion

OpenAI could pay.

14.03.2025 09:54 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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Great talk by @vrandecic.bsky.social at the #Informatics departmental seminar today on #knowledge in the age of #ai @kingsnmes.bsky.social

10.03.2025 17:16 👍 5 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
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Wikifunctions - Wikipedia's newest sister project · Luma The Wikimedia Foundation has launched a new project, Wikifunctions, a collaboratively maintained library of functions that anyone can use and contribute to. Dr…

Wikifunctions - Wikipedia's newest sister project

Wikifunctions is a collaboratively maintained library of functions that anyone can use and contribute to. This talk will introduce the project.

Where: Newspeak.House, London
When: 10 March @ 7pm.

lu.ma/4rtmw5ch

27.02.2025 12:46 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

There's this one guy who works for Wikipedia. He leads some truly amazing work, all open, even the tech stack. Even the team's task board is all open. I think the name is Chris too. And then he does some great explainers for all kind of AI concepts, as a community service. I learned a lot from them.

27.02.2025 06:27 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
media in category "heart shaped potatoes". 15 homemade photos from commons

media in category "heart shaped potatoes". 15 homemade photos from commons

wikimedia commons

26.02.2025 12:00 👍 1542 🔁 234 💬 32 📌 39