[PATCH v7] CONTRIBUTING.d/ai: Add guidelines banning AI for contributing
From: Alejandro Colomar <alx@kernel.org>
Date: 2025-10-28 13:21:08
Subsystem:
the rest · Maintainer:
Linus Torvalds
This policy is based on the Gentoo policy (see link below). However, I've modified our text to be more restrictive. Cc: Carlos O'Donell <redacted> Cc: Collin Funk <redacted> Cc: Sam James <redacted> Cc: "G. Branden Robinson" <redacted> Link: <https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Project:Council/AI_policy> Signed-off-by: Alejandro Colomar <alx@kernel.org> --- CONTRIBUTING.d/ai | 66 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 66 insertions(+) create mode 100644 CONTRIBUTING.d/ai
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.d/ai b/CONTRIBUTING.d/ai
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..95784872a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.d/ai@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@ +Name + AI - artificial intelligence policy + +Description + It is expressly forbidden to contribute to this project any + content that has been created with the assistance of AI tools. + + This also includes AI assistive tools used in the contributing + process, even if such tools do not generate the contributed + code. For example, AI linters and AI static analyzers are + forbidden. + + If for some reason, a contributor receives information from an + AI tool unintentionally, it should actively try to not use that + information, and should also disclose the incident when + contributing. + + Exceptions + As an exception to the above, AI assistive tools which don't + have any influence on the contribution other than enabling the + contributor to work with their computer (e.g., screen reader, + text to speech) --where the contributor verifies the output to + the best of their ability-- are allowed, and the contributor + need not disclose their use. + + Concerns + Copyright concerns. + At this point, the regulations concerning copyright of + generated contents are still emerging worldwide. Using + such material could pose a danger of copyright + violations, but it could also weaken claims to copyright + and void the guarantees given by copyleft licensing. + + Quality concerns. + Popular LLMs are really great at generating plausibly + looking, but meaningless content. They pose both the + risk of lowering the quality of a project, and of + requiring an unfair human effort from contributors and + maintainers to review contributions and detect the + mistakes resulting from the use of AI. + + Ethical concerns. + The business side of AI boom is creating serious ethical + concerns. Among them: + + - Commercial AI projects are frequently indulging in + blatant copyright violations to train their models. + - Their operations are causing concerns about the huge + use of energy, water, and other natural resources. + - The advertising and use of AI models has caused + a significant harm to employees and reduction of + service quality. + - LLMs have been empowering all kinds of spam and scam + efforts. + +Caveats + This policy can be revisited, should a case been made over such + a tool that does not pose copyright, quality, or ethical + concerns. + +Copyright + Text derived from --but different than-- the Gentoo project + AI policy + <https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Project:Council/AI_policy>. + + SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-SA-4.0
base-commit: cef39ff51bfd016d7079baefbf2a39f0fed7549b -- 2.51.0