The purpose is to create an information source that is complementary to information found by using search engines.
With search engines you can only find out stuff that you know you don't know (and can ask the search engine to find it). Sometimes, a limited knowledge can prevent you finding answers because there is stuff you don't know you don't know or are not aware of.
The idea then is to create a source of not simply information, but a source of information providers who together can present a wide range of knowledge pertaining to a subject area. Search engine algorithms cannot do this because their Ai abilities are not very good at discriminating between accurate and inaccurate, biased and unbiased, or how up-to-date information is.
By creating a continuously updated source of knowledge provided and curated by experts (perhaps using search engines as well as their own experience and expertise) a comprehensive overview of a subject area can be created. Does that make sense?
You ask where are the ants? I would greatly appreciate you becoming one of them ardvark Ants in a stigmergic system react to an environment by making changes to it - to improve it.