---
title: "Linus Torvalds: Linux is not anti-AI, AI is clearly a useful tool"
source: "Simon Willison 博客（Atom）"
source_tier: "t2"
url: "https://simonwillison.net/2026/Jul/16/linus-torvalds/#atom-everything"
permalink: "https://feed.astralor.com/items/itm_e0ed13d5a0971a928eeef9bd"
published: "2026-07-16T13:26:10.000Z"
score: 76
channel: "ai"
tags: ["AI","Linus Torvalds","Linux","Open Source","generative-ai"]
---

# Linus Torvalds: Linux is not anti-AI, AI is clearly a useful tool

## AI commentary

> This news is crucial for the open-source community and AI practitioners. As the ultimate decision-maker for Linux, Linus Torvalds's stance directly affects the ecosystem's embrace of AI tools. If you were concerned about anti-AI sentiment in open-source projects, this is the most authoritative reassurance. It clearly shows that AI has gained top-level endorsement at the infrastructure level.

## At a glance

Linus Torvalds, in a Linux media mailing list post, firmly stated that Linux is not an anti-AI project and that AI is a clearly useful tool, like any other. He argued that while it might not have been obvious a year ago, the usefulness of AI is no longer in question today, and those who doubt it clearly haven't used it. This decisive stance from the top-level maintainer signals a strong embrace of generative AI in the core open-source ecosystem, potentially influencing community norms and project policies.

## Key points

- Linus Torvalds firmly states Linux is not anti-AI and AI is a tool.
- He asserts that AI's usefulness is beyond doubt; doubters haven't used it.
- This could reshape attitudes toward AI in the open-source community.

## Full text

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. — Linus Torvalds, Linux Media Mailing List Tags: open-source, linus-torvalds, linux, generative-ai, ai, llms

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