Linux creator Linus Torvalds has strongly defended the use of AI coding tools in Linux development, telling opponents they can fork the project or leave. His intervention matters because it signals that the kernel’s top maintainer sees AI as an acceptable tool when it offers technical value, despite growing divisions within open-source communities over AI-generated code.

The discussion centred on Sashiko, an AI-assisted kernel review system said to identify 53.6% of bugs later fixed by humans, but estimated to produce false reports within a roughly 20% range. Torvalds said contributors would not be forced to use such tools, but he would reject efforts to prevent others using them; he also argued that AI’s mistakes should be judged alongside human fallibility. Earlier research found AI users were initially 19% less productive, though researchers later suggested the tools may have improved by early 2026.