source: simon willison: quoting linus torvalds
level: technical
linus torvalds, the top-level maintainer of the linux kernel, has taken a firm stance on the use of ai in the project. in a mailing list post, he said linux is not one of those anti-ai projects. he acknowledged that some people really dislike ai, but he is willing to put his foot down on this issue. he told anyone with issues to do the open-source thing and fork it, or just walk away.
torvalds described ai as a tool, just like other tools we use, and said it is clearly a useful one. he noted that while this might not have been clear even a year ago, it is no longer in question today. he argued that anyone who doubts its usefulness has not actually used it. he did acknowledge other questions around ai, such as what the economy of it will look like in the end.
the statement reinforces linux's openness to ai-assisted development and contributions. it signals that the kernel community will not ban or discourage ai-generated code or tools. this position may influence other open-source projects facing similar debates about ai integration. torvalds' pragmatic view treats ai as another tool in the developer's kit, focusing on utility rather than ideological objections.
why it matters: it sets a precedent for major open-source projects to adopt ai tools without stigma, potentially accelerating development and normalizing ai use in critical software infrastructure.