Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia at EIBF 2026

 

Jimmy Wales chatted with Heather Pony at the Edinburgh book festival 2026.. Wales is one of the top 250 leaders who shape our world. He said he started with Newpedia, which didn’t succeed.

Then the idea for a free encyclopaedia that people could trust, and that people can edit. Wikipedia was set up in 2001, as a charity when there was the hopeful world of the internet. Wikipedia now has 700 employees, and is based in San Francisco.

 

He spoke of his Triangle of Trust – empathy, authenticity, logic. “We don’t use algorithms.”   

The Five Rules of Wikipedia – the wiki foundation and the identification of best practice. 

Plus Quality, reliable source, Neutrality, Transparency, We always could do better. We must offer the best arguments, analyse things.

 

He spoke of the attacks from the Far Right. Elon Musk set up Rockopedia which failed – and which encourages extremes. 

 

Wales was asked could AI write Wikipedia? No not good enough yet and can make things up. AI is deeply flawed. AI can be useful for references. AI agents editing. CHATGpt and AI can help with coding. AI is not edited and Google AI is wrong 28% of the time. Google is a monopoly.

 

Wiki Traffic has had a 8% drop, with a 7% drop in revenue. Many now want quick answers. Plus a decline in first time editors. Wales spoke of Wiki’s Long form traffic. 

Wikipedia depends on donations, and has no Ads. Wiki is like a life raft, of trust and Wales said they work to make it better. He said that Disinformation is a problem and requires content and government regulation.

 

Wikipedia is banned in China, And in Turkey Wiki fought in the courts and won. In the Western world its important to have free dialogue – with diverse, open, free discourse in society. Wales spoke of the ownership of the media by Big tech. Jeff Bezo bought the Washington Post. Rupert Murdoch bought the Wall Street Journal. Newspapers endorse a candidate. 

 

Elif Shafak inspired at EIBF 2026

 “Storyland is my home “-  and the importance of the oral tradition. 

 

Rosie Goldmsith ably chaired her chat with British Turkish novelist Elif Shafak-  on her long and illustrious career, her 21 books of both fiction and non-fiction and growing up in a divided Turkey. 

 

This was an illuminating and challenging conversation with such a highly respected author. Shafak writes on human rights, freedom of speech and of how we must celebrate diversity. She writes in both English and Turkish. They discussed her thirty years of writing, on identity, freedom, politics and culture and her 21 books. Elif studied political science, philosophy and history. 

She spoke of how much books change us: books were another ways of existing, to consider the possibilities and connect with otherness. Elif has lived in many different countries.

BOOK *  There are Rivers in the Sky                    

Elif first published at 17 and she spoke of the pull of story telling. She said that Turkish is multi-layered – we should use both old and new words. In Turkey Persian and Arabic words were taken out. (much as Scots and Scots Gaelic was banned here)

If we leave our comfort zone our mind is nurtured. We must not be pushed into boxes. We should journey into other realms – and dismantle glass walls. There is a collective amnesia in Turkey (that sounds like Scotland also!), with nostalgia for the great empire. Minorities are enriching, with multiple identities – with bigger circles, regions, artists circles – and with one human race. multiplicity. Certain sense of loss.

Istanbul is her great love  - “I carry Istanbul with me'  Shafak left Istanbul after a controversy over her books and views. She said there are multiple Istanbul’s – where is home, where is exile? She feels very connected to Turkish culture, but not to the politics. She said we must appreciate the questions, and the importance of the silences. Burned stories in daylight.  

“Prose is like poetry – how language shapes us….English gives me cognitive dissonance”

Elif is now eighteen years in London. She spoke of how place shapes us – and that her children have friends of all religions, and diversity. And that Turkey doesn’t appreciate its diversity. 

BOOK * Three daughters of Eve

Elif was brought up by her grandmother and learned folktales, oral culture, lullabies, superstitions. She was both restricted and resilient. Elif spoke of the importance of the “Love with water families, who witness our journeys.”  Of faith and love.

“People who are certain of the truth scare me.” This is an age of anxiety – everyone is struggling. “We need to sit down and reassemble ourselves.”  We need to slow down, the world is spinning. And Trump’s calling people “losers” – there is no such thing.”  She spoke of the polarization and suffering today..

BOOK *Alternative history of Gustave Flaubert – Creativity in a time of chaos. 

She is influenced by both Middle eastern culture and European novel. There is no knowledge of Roman empire in Turkey, Elif said inter-cultural dialogue was important. 

Elif Shafak has published 21 books, including 13 acclaimed novels, and been translated into 58 languages. Following a sold out event discussing There are Rivers in the Sky in 2024, today’s special celebratory event sees Shafak – a powerful advocate for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights and freedom of speech – reflects on her rich career to date, what it means to be a truly global author and citizen, and the impact of putting her personal and political beliefs into tangible action. 

Human rights  Shafak's novels have explored human rights issues, particularly those in Turkey. She has said: "What literature tries to do is to re-humanize people who have been dehumanized ... People whose voices we never hear. That's a big part of my work".  Specific topics have included persecution of Yazidis, the Armenian genocide  and the treatment of various minorities. 

Shafak is an advocate for freedom of expression. While taking part in the Free Speech Debate, she commented: "I am more interested in showing the things we have in common as fellow human beings, sharing the same planet and ultimately, the same sorrows and joys rather than adding yet another brick in the imaginary walls erected between cultures/religions/ethnicities." 

She is best known for her novels, which include The Bastard of Istanbul, The Forty Rules of Love, Three Daughters of Eve, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, and The Island of Missing Trees. As of 2025, her work had been translated into almost sixty languages, and nominated for several literary awards. She has been described by the Financial Times as "Turkey's leading female novelist", with several of her works having been bestsellers in Turkey and internationally.