Linux's stance on AI has sparked a reaction from those who are opposed to the technology. Linus Torvalds' declaration that Linux is not an anti-AI project has been met with jubilation from pro-AI advocates, but also a rallying cry for those who are anti-AI. The anti-bot resistance is growing, with some open-source projects banning AI-generated code and others considering similar measures.
Codeberg, a European volunteer-run code forge, has changed its Terms of Use to ban projects that 'mostly consist of code written by 'generative AI' tools.' This move is seen as a response to the growing use of AI-generated code in open-source projects. Some have questioned the connection between AI-generated code and cryptocurrencies, but as Pivot to AI notes, many former blockchain maximalists have switched to promoting Large Language Models (LLMs) instead.
The response to Torvalds' position is varied, with some arguing that the focus should be on whether AI works or not, while others are concerned about the ethics of AI use. There are debates about the legitimacy of data harvesting, environmental costs, the impact on human users, and the effects on the job market and wider economy.
NetBSD has treated LLM-generated code as presumptively tainted since 2024, while OpenBSD's project lead has stated that LLM code can't be copyrighted, and therefore can't be contributed. This has led to some open-source projects re-examining their relationship with AI-generated code.