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ZDNET's key takeaways
Linux kernel developers are using AI to support project maintenance.
Writing kernel code with AI remains an open question.
Copyright and open-source licensing concerns still loom.
The Linux developer community has rapidly shifted from debating how to use AI to quietly embedding it deeply into the Linux kernel engineering workflows. Indeed, Linus Torvalds now describes himself as "a huge believer" in AI as a maintenance tool.
At the same time, kernel developers meeting in Tokyo for Open Source Summit (OSS) Japan, Linux Kernel Maintainer Summit, and Linux Plumbers were formalizing how large language models (LLMs) will fit into long-term processes such as stable backporting, Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) triage, and tooling policy.
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As Torvalds said in his OSS Japan keynote, AI has finally reached the point where it is genuinely helpful for Linux maintainers, rather than just hype around code generation. He emphasized that his interest lies in AI systems that pre-screen patches and merges, surfacing issues before they reach his inbox, rather than in tools that attempt to write complex kernel code outright. AI is not ready for that yet.
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