Linus Torvalds on AI

The solution is to make sure those LLM tools _help_ maintainers instead of just causing them pain. There's no question on that side. We're not forcing anybody to use it, but I will very loudly ignore people who try to argue against other people from using it. And no, AI isn't perfect. But Christ, anybody who points to the problems at AI had better be looking in the mirror and pointing at themselves at the same time. Because it's not like natural intelligence is always all that great either. The kernel project has been and will continue to be about the technology. Sure, the social angle of working on open source is important and often a very motivating part of the project, but in the end that's a side benefit, not the _point_ of the project. This is *NOT* some kind of "social warrior" project, never has been, and never will be. In the kernel community we do open source because it results in better technology, not because of religious reasons. And so we make decisions primarily based on technical merit. Not fear of new tools. Linus

A black-background screenshot presents a long quote attributed to Linus about using AI and LLM tools in kernel development. The joke is a blunt defense of AI-assisted work: critics should acknowledge their own flaws, while the Linux kernel community should judge tools by technical merit rather than fear, ideology, or social posturing. It is used as a reaction to arguments against AI in open-source software development.

• @gentoomemes / 21353 2026-07-15