Debian will not ban AI-assisted code from its distribution

Debian has voted to let developers use AI tools when contributing to the distribution's "development, maintenance, [and] documentation." The new policy says the project "neither endorses nor prohibits the use of generative AI tools" and acknowledges that "responsible" use can improve developer productivity. It adds that "generative AI is neither exempt from nor subject to special rules beyond the standards already expected of Debian contributors."

Responsibility stays with the contributor

The project's voting developers weighed several other proposals, including ones that would have banned contributions made with AI tools. The approved text requires that every contribution, regardless of how and with which tools it was produced, meet the same standards of quality, correctness, maintainability and legal compliance.

Using a generative AI tool does not diminish the contributor's responsibility for the submitted work. Contributors are expected to understand, review, test and, where appropriate, modify AI-assisted output before it goes into Debian. According to the policy, blindly accepting or uploading AI-generated material without appropriate human review is inconsistent with Debian's established development practices. Disclosure of AI assistance is encouraged but not required.

Pushback

As It's FOSS reports, some users and contributors are unhappy with the outcome. One contributor said he is quitting and is "no longer interested in anything coming from Debian." Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, faced similar criticism earlier this year over its own position on AI.

Full details are in The Verge's report.