Linus Torvalds backs AI use in Linux kernel work

Linus Torvalds has drawn a hard line on AI use in Linux development, saying the kernel is not an “anti-AI” project and contributors who disagree can either fork the kernel or “just walk away.”

Writing on lore.kernel.org, the Linux kernel mailing list archive, Torvalds said this was one area where he would “absolutely put my foot down as the top-level maintainer.” His message was aimed at contributors expressing negative views about AI in the 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.”

Torvalds framed AI as a tool, not an ideology. He said it is now “clearly a useful one,” adding that anyone who doubts that “clearly hasn’t actually used it.” That marks a notable change from October 2024, when he said 90 percent of AI was marketing hype and that he would “basically ignore it” for the time being, while predicting things could look different in five years.

Now, 21 months later, Torvalds says AI can still be a “somewhat painful tool” for maintainers, both because it affects workloads and because it keeps surfacing “embarrassing bugs.” But he rejected the idea that the answer is to avoid it.

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“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.”

He said the goal should be to make sure LLM tools help maintainers rather than create extra work. Torvalds also argued that Linux remains focused on technical merit, not what he called “religious reasons” for open source. In his view, the social side of open source matters, but it is a side benefit, not the point of the project.

The shift has also shown up elsewhere in the kernel community. In March, senior Linux maintainer Greg Kroah-Hartman told The Register that AI-assisted bug reports and code review had improved sharply.

“Something happened a month ago, and the world switched. Now we have real reports… All open source projects have real reports that are made with AI, but they’re good, and they’re real.”

Torvalds had already signaled a more practical stance in May, saying AI tools are only useful when they help rather than create “unnecessary pain and pointless make-believe work.” That remains the tension for maintainers dealing with burnout, AI slop bug reports, and concerns over vibe-coding. Still, Torvalds' latest post leaves little doubt about the direction: objections to AI alone will not set Linux kernel policy.

“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.”