What is Google Knowledge Panel?
Short answer
The information box that appears beside Google results for a recognised person, company or thing, assembled from Google’s Knowledge Graph.
Wikidata and Wikipedia are major inputs, alongside official sites and other structured sources. Google decides whether to show a panel at all.
The bar is far lower than Wikipedia’s. A Wikidata item, a consistent official presence and some third-party references are often enough.
Why it matters
When most people say they want a Wikipedia page, this is what they are picturing — and it is achievable for nearly everyone a Wikipedia article would reject.