Linus Torvalds Calls Rules That Police AI Tools 'Utterly Stupid'. Here's Linux's Rule Instead

Description and use

Linux dropped the "Assisted‑by" tag and requires human signed‑off, balancing AI use with accountability; QGIS banned AI code, increasing rejections.

Problem

Open source projects struggle to balance AI‑assisted code contributions with maintainability and accountability.

Outcome

Linux achieved a balanced AI policy that maintains accountability without banning AI, while QGIS’s strict ban led to higher rejection rates and maintainability issues.

Workflow

• 1. Review AI policy changes on LKML and QGIS QEP 408.
• 2. Update CONTRIBUTING.md to require Signed‑off‑by by a human and explain AI usage in PR description.
• 3. Add CI check to fail PRs without Signed‑off‑by or use DCO GitHub app.
• 4. Enforce maintainers to close PRs that appear unreviewed or contain unexplained diffs.
• 5. Monitor compliance and block repeat offenders.

Evidence

Since Linux 7.0 the kernel's AI coding assistants guide has asked developers to add an Assisted‑by tag to commits made with LLM help.

Source

On October 9 Sasha Levin posted a patch to remove the requirement.

Source

The kernel guide spells it out: "AI agents MUST NOT add Signed-off-by tags. Only humans can legally certify the DCO."

Source

QEP 408, "AI tool use policy" started in January 2026 as a disclosure-based policy by Even Rouault.

Source