FOSSERS Club students participate in WikiConference Kerala 2025

FOSSERS Club inspires students to actively contribute to free and open-source knowledge initiatives.

Three students from the FOSSERS Club – Nivin P Louis (S6, AIML Dept), Meera Surendran (S4, AIML Dept) and Manav (S6, CSE Dept)—participated in WikiConference Kerala 2025, organized by the Sahya Digital Conservation Foundation in collaboration with the Wikimedians of Kerala User Group, commemorating the 23rd anniversary of Malayalam Wikipedia. The conference was held on 20 December 2025 at the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), Mulangunnathukavu, Thrissur. The event commenced with registration followed by a traditional Pulluvan Pattu performance, setting a cultural tone for the conference, after which the inaugural session and welcome address introduced discussions on the future of knowledge in the era of Artificial Intelligence.

The forenoon sessions focused on AI and language technologies, including talks on Large Language Models in Malayalam, AI literacy, Generative AI and Wikimedia, and AI tools within the Wikimedia ecosystem, delivered by eminent speakers from academia, research institutions, and the Wikimedia community. A key highlight was the celebration of the 23rd birthday of Malayalam Wikipedia, featuring greetings from the Wikimedia Foundation and a cake-cutting ceremony.

The post-lunch sessions covered topics such as digital archiving, indigenous language preservation, Wikisource, Wikidata, open data initiatives, Malayalam computing, and accessibility, along with special tracks on WikiWomen, Wiki Loves campaigns, and community-driven knowledge projects that emphasized inclusive participation and open collaboration. The conference concluded with lightning talks, interactive sessions on upcoming Wikimedia projects, and a vibrant cultural performance of Tholpavakoothu. Overall, the students gained valuable exposure to open knowledge platforms, AI-driven digital tools, collaborative content creation, and community engagement, reinforcing the objectives of the FOSSERS Club and encouraging active participation in free and open-source knowledge initiatives.