Linus Torvalds: AI Coding Tools Are Welcome in Linux Kernel
Linux kernel maintainer Linus Torvalds has stated his support for using AI-generated code in the open-source project. He urged critics to either accept this or fork the project.
Linus Torvalds, the lead maintainer of the Linux kernel, has declared his support for integrating AI-powered coding tools into the long-standing open-source project. In a post on the Linux kernel mailing list this week, Torvalds stated he is willing to "absolutely put my foot down" in favor of using AI tools for improvement.
"Linux is not one of those anti-AI projects," Torvalds wrote. "If somebody has issues with that, they can do the open-source thing and fork it. Or just walk away."
The statement emerged during a discussion about Sashiko, an "agentic Linux kernel code review system." Its creators claim that, in tests, it can independently identify 53.6 percent of bugs that human coders would later fix.
However, the Sashiko tool can also waste maintainers' time by sending "false positive" bug reports, which its creators estimate occur within the "20% range." Torvalds' stance highlights his readiness to embrace new technologies for Linux development, even amid potential opposition.