Linus Torvalds says Linux kernel is out of ‘stabilization phase’ and using ‘much healthier model’ for AI contributions
Linus Torvalds says Linux kernel is using healthier model for AI contributions Linux kernel creator Linus Torvalds says AI-assisted work is becoming part of the project’s normal de
By The Register
Linus Torvalds says Linux kernel is using healthier model for AI contributions
Linux kernel creator Linus Torvalds says AI-assisted work is becoming part of the project’s normal development process, rather than arriving mainly as last-minute fixes.
Torvalds made the comments after the first release candidate for Linux kernel 7.4 was posted. The merge window contained almost 20,000 commits, compared with around 15,000 typically submitted for a new kernel release.
He said he was “much happier” to see AI-triggered work entering the merge window than appearing mainly as additional fixes during the later release-candidate period.
Torvalds said he hoped the larger number of commits showed that AI-related fixes were becoming part of normal development instead of being concentrated in the kernel’s stabilisation phase.
“I think that’s a much healthier model,” he wrote in his weekly update on the kernel’s development.
However, he cautioned that the unusually large merge window could not be attributed entirely to AI. Linux 7.4 is expected to become the next long-term support release, which can also lead to a larger-than-usual development cycle.
Torvalds described the release as being full of fixes for issues found by AI, with more patches now being suggested by AI as well. He added that those machine-suggested patches are often rewritten.
Around a third of the changes in the release are related to AMD graphics processing unit register offsets and bit masks.
The comments indicate that AI-generated or AI-assisted code is being reviewed within the usual kernel development process, with submitted patches still subject to changes before they are accepted.