- Linus Torvalds claims that Linux developers can decide to use AI
- Anti-AI developers can “fork it” and go elsewhere, he says
- AI should be used to help developers, emphasizes Torvalds
Linux creator Linus Torvalds has ultimately concluded that while developers will not be discouraged from using AI tools to help with their coding needs, AI is not mandatory and no one is forced to use it.
“Linux is not one of those anti-AI projects, and if someone has a problem with it, they can do the open source thing and scrap it,” he said in a core mailing list update.
Torvalds himself does not actively advocate one way or the other, acknowledging that the technology is more of a tool than an ideology, and that documented use cases have helped bolster its applications, despite questionable economics, environmental impacts and long-term consequences.
Torvalds Tells AI Haters to ‘Clump It’
Torvalds added that he also knows AI can create serious problems for maintainers, with AI-assisted submissions increasing workloads, producing noise and potential duplication, and generally adding more workload for humans.
Speaking about AI’s role in developer workflows, Torvalds criticized some for burying their heads in the sand and ignoring its impact. “The solution is to ensure that these LLM tools _help_ maintainers instead of just causing them pain,” he stressed.
In his message, Torvalds also rejected perfection as a standard, admitting that “natural intelligence” can be just as prone to error as artificial intelligence.
The open source project is thus not “a kind of ‘social warrior’ project” used to discuss the relevance of artificial intelligence, with Torvalds welcoming all possible views and contributions from developers, regardless of whether they use AI assistance.
“The core project has been and will continue to be about the technology,” he concluded.
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