- Linus Torvalds says Linux developers can make up their own minds about using AI
- Anti-AI developers can ‘fork’ and go elsewhere, he says
- AI should be used to help developers, emphasizes Torvalds
Linux creator Linus Torvalds ultimately concluded that while developers will not be discouraged from using AI tools to meet their coding needs, artificial intelligence will not be mandatory and no one is forced to use it.
“Linux is not one of these anti-AI projects, and if anyone has problems with that, they can open source and fork it,” he said in an update to the kernel mailing list.
Torvalds himself does not actively advocate either solution, recognizing that the technology is more of a tool than an ideology and that proven use cases have helped solidify its uses, despite questionable economics, environmental aspects, and long-term consequences.
Torvalds tells AI haters to ‘fork’
Torvalds added that he also knows that AI can create serious problems for managers, with AI-assisted submissions increasing workload, producing noise and potential duplication, and generally adding more workload for humans.
Speaking about the role of AI in developer workflows, Torvalds criticized some for burying their heads in the sand and ignoring its impact. “The solution is to make sure that these LLM tools _help_ maintainers instead of just causing them pain,” he emphasized.
In his post, Torvalds also rejected perfection as the standard, admitting that “natural intelligence” can be just as error-prone as artificial intelligence.
The open source project is therefore not a “kind of ‘social warrior’ project” used to debate the relevance of artificial intelligence, with Torvalds welcoming all kinds of views and contributions from developers, whether or not they use AI assistance.
“The core project has been and will continue to be technology-driven,” he concluded.
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