The Linux kernel developers for months now have been debating proposed guidelines for tool-generated submissions to the Linux kernel. As part of the “tools”, the main motivator for this documentation has been around the era of AI and large language models with coding assistants and more. Torvalds made some remarks on the Linux kernel mailing list around his belief in focusing the documentation on “tools” rather than explicitly focusing on AI, given the likelihood of AI-assisted contributions continuing regardless of documentation.
For those wondering Linus Torvalds latest positioning around AI-assisted patches to the Linux kernel, he chimed in on the discussion with some useful and to-the-point thoughts:
“| Thinking LLMs are ‘just another tool’ is to say effectively that the kernel
| is immune from this. Which seems to me a silly position.No. Your position is the silly one.
There is *zero* point in talking about AI slop. That’s just plain stupid.
Why? Because the AI slop people aren’t going to document their patches as such. That’s such an obvious truism that I don’t understand why anybody even brings up AI slop.
So stop this idiocy.
The documentation is for good actors, and pretending anything else is pointless posturing.
As I said in private elsewhere, I do *not* want any kernel development documentation to be some AI statement. We have enough people on both sides of the “sky is falling” and “it’s going to revolutionize software engineering”, I don’t want some kernel development docs to take either stance.
It’s why I strongly want this to be that “just a tool” statement.
And the AI slop issue is *NOT* going to be solved with documentation, and anybody who thinks it is either just naive, or wants to “make a statement”.
Neither of which is a good reason for documentation.”
Very valid and to the point thinking by Linus Torvalds. The discussion over this AI/tooling documentation for the Linux kernel remains ongoing.
