AI in Linux
6 hours ago
- Linus Torvalds supports using AI tools like LLMs for code authoring and review in Linux kernel development, with over 1,200 commits having an 'Assisted-by' tag.
- The new code review tool Sashiko generates AI-driven reviews, forcing contributors to interact with AI and sparking debate about mandatory AI usage.
- Linus dismisses ethical and political arguments, insisting Linux focuses solely on technology, but the author argues Linux is inherently political due to licensing choices and the practical impossibility of forking.
- AI externalities include rising hardware prices, carbon emissions, and energy consumption, with negative impacts on people including kernel contributors.
- The author criticizes Linus for legitimizing AI companies and calls for honest discussion of moral and ethical dimensions rather than narrow technical focus.