HYDERABAD, India — The Wikimedia Technology Summit 2024 successfully took place from October 3 to 5, 2024, drawing an enthusiastic gathering of technologists, developers, and volunteer contributors of Wikimedia projects from all over the country. Hosted by the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Hyderabad with support from Indic MediaWiki Developers User Group and the Wikimedia Foundation, the summit had a one-day Hackathon on the IIIT Hyderabad campus and the summit at Hotel Hyatt Gachibowli. The summit gathered 130 attendees from across India to discuss the latest trends and innovations in open-source technology and Wikimedia projects.
Titled ‘Wiki Tech for All: Empowering Voices, Expanding Horizons’, the event focused on enhancing inclusivity within Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects, especially for smaller language communities. It provided a unique opportunity for collaboration and knowledge exchange, bringing together developers, researchers, community leaders, and WikiClub students from various colleges— all dedicated to advancing technological innovations to serve the needs of diverse Wikimedia user groups. The students also engaged with experienced Wikimedia technical contributors for hands-on training on relevant tools and getting familiar with Wikimedia’s technology infrastructure.
“The Wikimedia Technology Summit 2024 is yet another successful event in our long-term endeavour to elevate the technological support that is available for Indic-language communities and beyond,” remarked Prof Radhika Mamidi, Associate Professor at IIIT Hyderabad. “We are grateful to our speakers, participants, and supporters for making this event possible and we look forward to building on the momentum generated here. I also especially want to recognise the efforts of our program manager, Krupal Kasyap, with the support from the Wikimedia Foundation for organising this summit.”
The highlights of Day 1 included a panel discussion on the impact of AI, featuring experts from AI4Bharat, BITS Pilani, CIS, IIIT Hyderabad and Microsoft, and interesting sessions on development of content in indigenous languages, use of OpenStreetMap for updating real-time content during a recent crisis in Kerala, and some of the latest features and tools by the Wikimedia Foundation. Day 2 shifted focus to addressing the gender gap in the technology used by Wikimedia communities and workshops covering a range of technical topics including mobile editing, voice and image-based user scripts, and tools for Indian languages.
This year’s summit also had a special focus on bridging the gender gap within Wikimedia projects and communities through technical outreach programs. “At this year’s Wikimedia Technology Summit, we have witnessed a remarkable display of collaboration and passion for knowledge sharing through open-source technology,” said Prof Vasudeva Varma, Head, Language Technologies Research Centre (LTRC) at IIIT Hyderabad. “This summit is a reflection of engagement between diverse stakeholders. We aim to fulfil the mission for free knowledge as envisaged by the Wikimedia movement.”
The summit concluded with the Hackathon Showcase, where participants presented their innovative solutions and tool upgradation suggestions, followed by a discussion reflecting on the future of the Wikimedia movement and open-source technology in Indic languages.
