- Open Source maintainers face increased workload due to a surge in AI-generated contributions, bug reports, and feature requests, straining small teams.
- The Renovate project, with only 3 core maintainers, saw a 60% increase in PR contributions in 2026 compared to prior years, plus larger PR sizes.
- Maintainers grapple with balancing AI tool usage for efficiency while preserving human empathy and personal communication with users.
- AI-assisted contributions can feel impersonal and disappointing to users, prompting ethical questions about outsourcing human interaction.