Linus Torvalds Endorses AI Use in Linux Kernel Development

Linux creator Linus Torvalds has sharply criticized opponents of artificial intelligence in Linux kernel development. In a discussion on the developer mailing list, he stated that Linux will not become an "anti-AI project," and those who disagree may fork the project or leave the community. His comment was a response to debates over the use of Sashiko, a tool that analyzes patches and identifies potential bugs.

Sashiko is an optional code review tool that operates at the developer mailing list level. According to its creators, it can detect 53.6% of bugs in submitted patches, outperforming human reviews. The false positive rate is estimated at around 20%. The tool only comments on patches without making autonomous decisions, reducing the risk of automated errors.

Torvalds emphasized that AI is merely a tool, like any other technology used in development. He noted that skepticism toward such solutions was prevalent a year ago, but their benefits are now evident. "The tool finds genuinely embarrassing bugs, and I will ignore those who oppose its use," he stated. The developer also reminded that human intelligence is not flawless, and AI only needs to be "good enough" for specific tasks.

Torvalds’ position contrasts with some open-source projects that ban or restrict LLM-generated contributions. For example, Gentoo Linux and Curl have implemented strict rules due to concerns over quality and security. However, the Linux creator believes technology should evolve rather than be limited by biases.