Oracle has told contributors to OpenJDK, the open-source Java project it stewards, that they must not submit code or other content generated by AI tools. The interim policy, published in a post tagged "legal" while a fuller policy is drafted, cites concerns over reviewer workload, safety, security and intellectual property, given that OpenJDK underpins mission-critical systems used by organisations worldwide. The move sits awkwardly alongside Oracle's own enthusiastic promotion of AI-written code within its products, highlighting an apparent contradiction in the company's stance on AI-generated software.

Under the new rules, contributions to OpenJDK Git repositories, GitHub pull requests, emails, wiki pages and Java Bug System issues must not include material generated in whole or in part by large language models or similar deep-learning systems, though developers may still use such tools privately to comprehend, debug, review code and conduct research. Oracle warned that "plausible-looking but incorrect code" could jeopardise safety and security. This contrasts with comments from CTO Larry Ellison, who has said Oracle's own AI models now write much of the company's code, and co-CEO Mike Sicilia, who touted AI coding tools as enabling smaller teams to work faster. The apparent inconsistency comes as Oracle plans to invest $70 billion in datacentre expansion over the coming year, up from $55.7 billion in fiscal 2026, a move that prompted S&P to downgrade its credit rating to BBB-, just above junk status.