Flathub's AI slop ban looks like it was the right call
11 hours ago
- Flathub banned AI-coded app submissions last month, and new data shows nearly 73% of rejected apps are already abandoned, existing only a few months.
- Developer Evangelos Paterakis examined 120 rejected code repositories with an 'AI Slop' tag; 88 are no longer actively developed, many with deleted source code.
- The high abandonment rate undermines the idea that users would flock to other formats for AI-coded software, as most banned apps were not maintained.
- The methodology was not rigorous, and Paterakis acknowledged this in a blog post titled 'Democratizing Abandonware'.
- Abandonment is not unique to AI, as open source has long seen hobby projects peter out, but AI lowers barriers and reduces personal involvement, amplifying the issue.
- Flathub's ban is justified to prevent volunteer reviewers from dealing with code submitters hadn't read and arguments with unresponsive AI agents.
- Critics question if AI tools lead to quality innovation, noting many new apps are mere simulacra of existing ones (e.g., Pomodoro timers, note-taking apps) rather than novel solutions.
- Truly compelling AI-coded software may still be forthcoming, but for now, generating code is easier than creating software that meets real needs.