Navigating the Changing Landscape of Online Knowledge Consumption and Production in the Age of Generative AI: Evidence from Stack Overflow

arXiv:2609.38563v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Online knowledge communities rely on a division of epistemic labor between users who seek information and those who produce it. Generative AI may blur these roles, but how it reallocates knowledge-seeking and knowledge-producing activities and reshapes the nature and returns of participation remains unclear. We examine changes in question-asking and answering among Stack Overflow user groups, focusing on consumers and producers, following the release of ChatGPT. Consumers shifted from asking questions to producing answers, but their answers were less likely to be accepted relative to the pre-ChatGPT period, suggesting that increased production did not yield equal standing in the community. By contrast, producers did not change the number of questions they asked, but increasingly asked about novel and emerging topics. Although they produced fewer answers, their answers received greater recognition. These findings show that access to generative AI does not necessarily translate into equal opportunities for successful participation.

Generative AI widens gap between consumers and producers

This is a well-grounded empirical study showing generative AI reshapes but does not equalize participation in knowledge communities, with experts gaining more recognition and casual contributors less. The implication is mildly concerning for equitable access but not a severe societal harm, and is specific to one platform.

The study suggests that generative AI, specifically ChatGPT, has negatively impacted the 'knowledge consumers' on Stack Overflow, reducing the acceptance rate of their answers despite increased participation. This indicates a potential decrease in opportunities for successful community engagement for some users, which is a concerning implication for online knowledge communities.

The study shows that generative AI shifts roles in online knowledge communities. Consumers gain production ability but not equal standing. Producers gain recognition but reduce output. This suggests a widening gap in community standing.

SOURCE     arXiv cs.CY (Computers and Society) (tier 1)
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DOCUMENT   479464e9-c6f2-4894-be96-d7f79e3b9ba8
           https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.38563
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EVIDENCE   3 extracted excerpts
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MODEL RUN  4 runs, methodology 1.0.1
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SCORE      -56  (Adverse)
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CONFIDENCE 75%