Linux creator Linus Torvalds puts foot down on anti-AI comments
Linux creator Linus Torvalds puts foot down on anti-AI comments
15 Jul 2026 at 12:56 pm UTC | Last updated: 15 Jul 2026 at 1:02 pm UTC By Liam Squires-Hand
In reply to a developer on one of the Linux kernel mailing lists, Linux creator Linus Torvalds firmly put a foot down to push back against anti-AI comments.
There's a lot of negativity surrounding generative AI including its use for making images, videos, code and now quite often for video games too. I don't think I need to again rehash why so many are against it, this should be well-known by now.
So sticking to what's happened - on the mailing list the topic of a post from the Software Freedom Conservancy came up titled "Recommendations When Using LLM-backed Generative AI Systems for FOSS Contributions", which has caused an issue for some developers who were talking about using Sashiko which is described as "Agentic review of Linux Kernel code changes".
Developer Laurent Pinchart mentioned:
I expect maintainers who want to act on sashiko reviews to triage and verify them first before bothering authors, yes. I believe we should follow the first two recommendations of the Software Freedom Conservancy on using LLM-backed generative AI systems for FOSS contributions (\[1\]).>
\[1\] https://sfconservancy.org/llm-gen-ai/llm-backed-generative-ai-recommendations.html
Which prompted this reply from Roman Gushchin:
I think it makes the point of sashiko - helping maintainers - unachievable. If the point to not use LLMs in general, let’s discuss this, not how to make each use case more complex.>
It seems like \[1\] expresses a very anti-LLM position in general, which I can understand and I agree with some of concerns. But I think it’s up to project leaders to decide if Linux in general takes this position and my take so far is that the answer is not.
And then in comes Linus Torvalds with some firm words:
Yes.>
And no, that's not the position of the Linux kernel.>
I realize that some people really dislike AI, but this is an area where I'm willing to absolutely put my foot down as the top-level maintainer.>
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.>
AI is a tool, just like other tools we use. And it's clearly a useful one.>
It may not have been that "clearly" even just a year ago, but it's no longer in question today.>
There are other questions around AI (like what the economy of it will actually look like in the end), but "is it useful" is no longer one of those questions. Anybody who doubts that clearly hasn't actually used it.>
Yes, it can also be a somewhat painful tool, both for maintainer workloads and just from a "it keeps finding embarrassing bugs" standpoint.>
But the solution is not to put your head in the sand and sing "La La La, I can't hear you" at the top of your voice like some people seem to do.>
The solution is to make sure those LLM tools \help\ maintainers instead of just causing them pain. There's no question on that side.>
We're not forcing anybody to use it, but I will very loudly ignore people who try to argue against other people from using it.>
And no, AI isn't perfect. But Christ, anybody who points to the problems at AI had better be looking in the mirror and pointing at themselves at the same time.>
Because it's not like natural intelligence is always all that great either.>
The kernel project has been and will continue to be about the technology.>
Sure, the social angle of working on open source is important and often a very motivating part of the project, but in the end that's a side benefit, not the \point\ of the project.>
This is \NOT\ some kind of "social warrior" project, never has been, and never will be.>
In the kernel community we do open source because it results in better technology, not because of religious reasons.>
And so we make decisions primarily based on technical merit. Not fear of new tools.>
Linus
What are your thoughts on this?
🌐 External Sources: sfconservancy.org, github.com/sashiko-dev/sashiko, lore.kernel.org Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: AI, Kernel, Misc, Open Source
Share
About the author - Liam Squires-Hand
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly checked on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. You can follow me personally on Mastodon \[External Link\]. See more from me
Some you may have missed, popular articles from the last month:
DXVK 3.0 brings lots of improvements for Windows games on Linux / SteamOS
SteamOS 3.8 is out with initial Steam Machine support, Desktop Mode upgrades, new Graphics Drivers
Steam Deck 2 getting closer but hardware still not quite there yet
GOG Summer Sale 2026 is live now with thousands of discounts
You can also find comments for this article on social media:
All posts need to follow our rules. Please hit the Report Flag icon on any post that breaks the rules or contains illegal / harmful content. Readers can also email us for any issues or concerns.
11 comments
minus9 2 hours ago
- Flag
- Link
- Supporter Plus
- Flag
- Link
- Flag
- Link
- Mega Supporter View PC info
- Flag
- Link
- Flag
- Link
- Flag
- Link
- Flag
- Link
- Supporter Plus
- Flag
- Link
- Flag
- Link
- Flag
- Link
- Flag
- Link
Sensible and pragmatic as always from Linus. Much as I hate AI the Genii is out of the bottle and we can't pretend it's not. I'm just glad I don't have to clean up the mess it will make.
0 Likes
pb 2 hours ago
If there's \one\ acceptable use for AI, it's making code reviews a bit easier. Too many people seem to be using it the other way round, but that's them, and not everyone.
1 Likes 👍 (1) See more...
wytrabbit 2 hours ago
I'm not against AI in the general sense.. I'm against the practice of using it for corporate profit at the expense of real people. I'm against the mass surveillance it provides to decision makers who aren't responsible enough to verify data. I'm against using it as a crutch to filter our education system through. I'm all for sending AI to explore space, to help us test scientific theories, to handle hazardous chemicals and extremely risky jobs, and to teach us about ourselves. IMO reviewing code is fine too for the purpose of patching bugs and exploits, as long as the LLM is not generating the patches for us.
0 Likes
clatterfordslim 1 hour ago
View PC info
Quoting: pbIf there's \one\ acceptable use for AI, it's making code reviews a bit easier.
Erik Dubois built his Kiro Arch Linux with the help of Claude. He made sure to check what Claude had written and tested Claude's code before releasing it. He trained Claude to make apps, telling Claude programming principals he must obey to. Erik spent a lot of tokens, to get Kiro Linux up to where it is now. I use it for gaming on, dual booting with Linux Mint 22.2. Linux Mint my main OS and Kiro for gaming on. Both Xfce. Erik has nearly fifteen Linux Environments he has released, including tiling WM's. I guess to use AI properly and locally, you have to train it and check it's work. If the Kernel is going to have AI code, then the same principal must be addressed, train whatever AI to do what you want and not the other way round.
0 Likes
Szkodnix 1 hour ago
View PC info
I can't really blame Linus. I'd say both AI and anti-AI statements are getting out of hand, and so far it hasn't done anything good for the community. We're not getting rid of AI tools. Now the goal is to reduce the possibility of an actual AI slop being contributed to the code and treat AI only as a tool ("a tool", not "the tool") with an actual human overseeing the process, possibly with any understanding of submitted code.
0 Likes
AllyTheProtogen 1 hour ago
View PC info
I find it really irritating how anybody claiming AI is a tool just completely ignore that it's an ethical nightmare. If you can verify the code, you could've just written it. Sad to know Linus is still an ass. And the "The genie is out of the bottle" excuse for accepting it is also bullshit. The genie is out of the bottle with gas prices. Should we accept that? No. The genie is out of the bottle with war. Should we accept that? No. The genie is out of the bottle with homelessness. Should we accept that? No. It's just a way of saying "Hey, this giant thing is happening. With enough effort we could stop it, but we're too lazy to fix it. So just accept this incredibly harmful thing that steals from people all over the world and let it continue to grow and hurt people." People really need to get their heads out of their asses and start thinking for themselves again. Last edited by AllyTheProtogen on 15 Jul 2026 at 1:49 pm UTC
0 Likes
grigi 1 hour ago
This feels like an overreaction on Linus's part. The linked sfsconservancy recommendations are not anti-llm. I think a pro-AI person reads that first statement and say "ANTI AI WOKE SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIOR!", where when I read it states that if a person decides against LLM usage, that is their choice and you must support their choice. That's basically "be respectful to your fellow". They continue by saying if there is LLM usage, it needs to be done sensibly and here are some recommendations to limit the chaos and some lines that shouldn't be crossed, like addiction…
0 Likes
Fester\_Mudd 1 hour ago
I suppose he did an exception on that social warring thingy as he kicked Russians out 👋:
"I’m Finnish. Did you think I’d be supporting Russian aggression? Apparently it’s not just lack of real news, it’s lack of history knowledge too."
\-Linus Torvalds
1 Likes 👍 (1) See more...
jardon 1 hour ago
The "just a tool" framing is willfully ignorant. Hammers, rakes, tape measures, and AI are all the same uncontroversial category. Last edited by jardon on 15 Jul 2026 at 2:03 pm UTC
0 Likes
Johnologue 23 minutes ago
Seems broadly reasonable, if abrasive; which is what I'm told to expect from Linus. Someone said it was an overreaction? Probably. AI is a tool. Tools can be weaponized against people and society, they can be used in ridiculous ways, applied to the wrong jobs..."AI is a tool" is not the annoying centrist "free pass" it's often used as. Factually, generative AI is a machine. It might not be a very useful machine, but I don't think that's been determined yet. I'm skeptical, and I do oppose the way major commercial vendors are developing and using AI. They are making the worst possible version of this technology and using it in the worst ways. I think it's better people from around Linux and open source study and experiment with this tool. If we ultimately find, long-term, that the supposed usefulness of AI tools is illusory or has too great a cost, we can stop without losing trillions of dollars and vaporizing what's left of the economy. AI's most passionate critics and supporters seem to agree on one thing: Not understanding AI. Ignorance is NOT strength.
0 Likes
mindedie 14 minutes ago
Quoting: jardonThe "just a tool" framing is willfully ignorant.
Whole "AI" long gone beyond "willfully ignorant". Sounds more as some complicit in whole BS. Majority of renaming/rebranding years or decade old tools (algorithms, software etc) to "AI" just to peddle stocks, investment, market, financial manipulation now... and some other grifts and swindles.
1 Likes 👍 (1) See more...