Linus Torvalds backs AI coding in Linux

Linus Torvalds has drawn a hard line on AI-assisted coding in the Linux kernel: if contributors object to LLM-generated code being used in the project, they can fork it or walk away.

In a lengthy post on the Linux kernel mailing list this week, Torvalds said he is “willing to absolutely put my foot down” in support of using AI tools to help improve the long-running open source project.

“Linux is not one of those anti-AI projects, and if somebody has issues with that, they can do the open-source thing and fork it. Or just walk away.”

The argument surfaced during a broader discussion over Sashiko, described by its creators as an “agentic Linux kernel code review system.” According to its developers, tests show Sashiko can independently find 53.6 percent of the bugs that would later be fixed by human coders in subsequent commits.

But the tool also creates extra work. Its maintainers estimate the rate of false positive bug reports at “well within [the] 20% range,” raising concerns that kernel maintainers could end up flooded with automated email reports about bugs that do not actually exist.

Recommended reading

Google’s Gemini Pro slips as coding upgrade misses goals

One participant in the thread pointed to a recent statement from the Software Freedom Conservancy, which said the open source community “should support, not just tolerate, those who outright reject LLM-gen-AI systems” and that “every FOSS contributor deserves self-determination regarding LLM-gen-AI.”

Torvalds rejected that position when it is used to argue that open source projects should ban LLM-assisted contributions outright.

“We’re not forcing anybody to use [LLM tools], but I will very loudly ignore people who try to argue against other people from using it.”