Useful
I realize that some people really dislike AI, but this is an area where I'm willing to absolutely put my foot down as the top-level maintainer.
Linux is not one of those anti-AI projects, and if somebody has issues with that, they can do the open-source thing and fork it.
Or just walk away.
AI is a tool, just like other tools we use. And it's clearly a useful one.
It may not have been that "clearly" even just a year ago, but it's no longer in question today.
There are other questions around AI (like what the economy of it will actually look like in the end), but "is it useful" is no longer one of those questions. Anybody who doubts that clearly hasn't actually used it.
Is AI useful? Yes, absolutely.
Is it fulfilling? Is it creative?1 Is it making our world a better place?
No. Absolutely not.
Productivity should not be the only way we measure value.
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.
Are we not already slaves to the machine?