A serious debate has erupted in the open-source world, centered on a figure whose name has become synonymous with success in the IT industry. Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux kernel, has firmly stated his position regarding the use of artificial intelligence in the development of the operating system. He declared that the project has no intention of fighting new technologies and offered those dissatisfied with this stance either to leave the project or to create their own fork of the kernel.
"Linux is not against AI"
Torvalds did not resort to diplomacy, clearly formulating his point: Linux is not part of a movement directed against artificial intelligence. According to him, if anyone has problems with integrating AI into the development process, the solution is simple — create your own open-source project and make a fork. Otherwise, he suggested simply leaving.
Known for his pragmatism, the creator of Linux characterized AI as a tool no different from others used by developers. "It is certainly a useful tool. A year ago, this was probably not so 'obvious', but today there is no doubt," he noted. Torvalds added that anyone who doubts the effectiveness of AI simply hasn't used it in practice.
From Skepticism to Recognition
The legendary developer's position has undergone significant changes in a short time. As recently as October 2024, he held a different opinion: he considered 90% of AI claims to be marketing hype and expressed hostility toward the hype in the tech industry. However, he admitted that the situation could change in the next five years. In reality, this transition took only 21 months.
Torvalds acknowledged that AI can be a "somewhat painful tool" in terms of workload, as it constantly finds annoying bugs. Nevertheless, he criticized those who prefer to ignore reality. "Hiding your heads in the sand and singing at the top of your lungs 'la-la-la, I can't hear you', as some do — is not a solution," he stated.
In the kernel developer community, according to Torvalds, open source is pursued to create quality products, not out of religious convictions. Therefore, decisions are made based on technical merits, not fear of new tools.
AI vs. The Human Factor
Other developers confirmed that the quality of bug reports and code review with the help of AI has improved significantly. In their opinion, the "world changed" about a month ago. Despite this, AI still has a lot of work to do to prove its superiority.
In his traditionally sharp manner, Linus Torvalds summed up the discussion: "AI is not perfect. But anyone pointing out problems with AI would do better to look in the mirror and point at themselves. Because natural intelligence is not always that good either".
