Linus Torvalds Draws a Line on AI in the Kernel: 'Linux Is Not One of Those Anti-AI Projects'

Simon Willison / Linux Media Mailing List·high signal

On the Linux Media Mailing List, Torvalds invoked his authority as top-level maintainer to reject blanket anti-AI policies in kernel contribution, writing that 'AI is a tool, just like other tools we use. And it's clearly a useful one.' He framed AI's practical utility as settled among those with hands-on experience while conceding the broader economic questions remain open. For builders, this is the most influential maintainer in open source pre-empting the AI-contribution bans spreading across other projects.