- Linus Torvalds says he only used AI in a personal project with no real consequences
- The code had nothing to do with Linux, Git, or any production system
- AI helped with unfamiliar Python visuals, not the core system or core logic
Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, has spent years pushing back against exaggerated claims surrounding artificial intelligence, describing much of the AI conversation as driven more by marketing than by practical results, and declaring that he is much less interested in AI for writing code.
At the same time, Torvalds has emphasized that he is not anti-AI in principle, but a strong opponent of the hype that often surrounds AI tools.
Against that background, his recent admission that he used self-described “vibe coding” in a personal project has drawn attention.
A hobby project, not infrastructure
However, the context of this decision is important. The code in question appears in AudioNoise, a small personal repository that Torvalds himself calls a ‘silly guitar pedal-related project’.
It generates random digital sound effects and is not part of the Linux kernel, Git, or any other widely used system.
Torvalds has said in the past that vibe coding is “ok” if you’re not using it for anything important – and it looks like this project fits his description closely.
Torvalds’ README explains why an AI coding tool came into play – the Python visualization component sat outside his comfort zone.
In similar situations in the past, Torvalds said he would copy fragments from forum threads or Stack Overflow and tweak them until they worked — this time he skipped that process and used Google Antigravity to generate the visualizer directly.
In that sense, the tool acted less as a creative engine and more as a shortcut similar to well-known productivity tools that developers already depend on.
The wider developer community remains divided, as some worry that developers could become obsolete if AI can code — and others question how much trust, if any, AI-generated code deserves.
Torvald’s previous comments are consistent with limited use. For him, AI is a tool for learning coding, automated patch checking and code review.
“How do I feel about all the code I wrote that was consumed by LLMs? I feel great to be a part of it because I see this as a continuation of what I tried to do all my life: to democratize code, systems, knowledge,” Torvalds wrote.
“LLMs will help us write better software, faster, and will allow small teams to compete with larger companies. So did open source software in the 90s.”
He noted that such systems have caught problems he missed, but this does not approve AI-written code for core systems.
Although people argue online, Torvalds was simply experimenting during a vacation. The episode suggests pragmatism rather than a change in philosophy.
Via ArsTechnica
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