Post by @auzy1@lemmy.world

2026-10-16 21:46 UTC

No, the kernel has not gone "Full AI Slop Code" There appears to be a few bad actors in the Lemmy community spreading ragebait for personal gain In fact, the same mechanisms added at the beginning to catch bad human written code are the exact same that catch bad AI code No, the Linux kernel DOES NOT use AI to automatically approve code for inclusion. As far as I can tell, there are no plans to do so The Kernel actually has a huge number of maintainers. As part of the process, all patches are reviewed by a human who provide feedback as part of the process, and patches get bounced back and forth multiple time. Patches don’t just magically go straight to master. The maintainers generally have their own branches where it goes to, then it goes to staging trees like Linux-Next. It goes through many eyes, and many tests by the end. The idea that AI code is overrunning the kernel is rediculous Maintainers also check that the code meets coding guidelines and is written properly, and solves the problem they are trying to solve. Yes, they also ensure the code isn’t slop LLM’s though might be used to identify obvious problems with the code (which they are VERY good at), or even identify code that doesn’t follow coding guidelines. Writing bad code isn’t something new, and isn’t unique to LLM’s. Coders (and it seems some “journalists”) have been writing slop since computers were invented. The process hasn’t gotten less stringent (probably even MORE stringent as there is an additional set of robotic eyes that can also check), and the same mechanisms that were put in place to catch badly written code 10 years ago, are still there now… With no changes.

Replies (15)

@thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 2026-10-16 22:27

I agree with you that the Kernel isn’t doing slop. But there are a few points I want to address, maybe even disagree. First let me say that people have different definition of what slop means. That is why we don’t always agree on statements involving slop. he Kernel actually has a huge number of maintainers. True, but its still not enough to handle all slop. One problem is, its not always apparent at first glance. And more code is generated than ever before, surpassing the capabilities, time and nerves of all maintainers. That means they start using Ai to combat the amount. And that’s an issue on itself. Writing bad code isn’t something new, and isn’t unique to LLM’s. Coders (and it seems some “journalists”) have been writing slop since computers were invented. This might be true, but that is not a reason to accept or normalize slop. It does not matter how much slop was before, we always try to minimize it. The difference to before is, that nowadays its easier and faster to write (or generate) slop in mass that looks legit. Finding out its bad code or wrong can suck up huge amount of time of maintainers, which would have worked on something more productive instead. The only thing that matters is the human who submitted the code For you maybe, but there are issues using Ai regardless of how the code looks. And I don’t even talk about the amount of code it can generate and outpace every maintainer capacity. I mean stuff like how the LLM was trained on in example, and if the licensing will become an issue one day. While the Linux Kernel operates very securely and in a controlled manner, that we cannot call it slop (yet). But there are inherent problems using Ai that are unsolved.

Open ##5070911
@ratjefe@lemmy.today 2026-10-16 22:55

This is old karma, my friend. These people aren’t trying to make rational arguments, they’re making ethical ones. You know the history of Abrahamic people and their “ethics” 😉 they hold them strong

Open ##5071183
@klankin@piefed.ca 2026-10-16 23:06

Yeah but what if you care about AI ethics? Slop is multifaceted

Open ##5071383
@eestileib@sh.itjust.works 2026-10-16 23:49

I’m not a participant in Linux development, are you a kernel developer/change reviewer?

Open ##5071896
@davel@lemmy.ml 2026-10-16 23:54

There appears to be a few bad actors in the Lemmy community spreading ragebait for personal gain There’s no reason to attribute it all—or even most—to malice or opportunism.

Open ##5071919
@savvywolf@pawb.social 2026-10-17 00:38

My feeling is that Linus is still going to call out slop if he sees it - human or otherwise.

Open ##5072367
@naught101@lemmy.world 2026-10-17 01:09

even identify code that doesn’t follow coding guidelines. Code linters have existed for decades, that doesn’t require LLMs

Open ##5072816
@TrickDacy@lemmy.world 2026-10-17 02:47

I’ve seen some rage bait and people spreading falsehoods about Linus and his outlook on LLMs… but what personal gain is there to be had? I would’ve assumed all the misinformation I’ve seen is just doomerist outrage.

Open ##5074254
@Doomsider@lemmy.world 2026-10-17 05:37

There is truth to every bit of propaganda. AI is being used in a limited fashion on the Kernel. In the long term AI will likely decrease the contributors in the future as already seen with AI blowing up some traditional communities. This is a very real problem and people should be concerned. The sky is not falling. The future is very uncertain though and this could be the start of something very disruptive to the open source community.

Open ##5078282
@somegeek@programming.dev 2026-10-17 09:28

I think 90% of anti-linus and linux posts tgat we’re seeing are microsoft/apple psyops campaigns. They’re milking this as much as they can

Open ##5079979
@BlackLaZoR@lemmy.world 2026-10-17 11:22

Do you know that Linux kernel has hidden DRM in it? Total betrayal, don’t know about you guys, but I’m no longer going to use it.

Open ##5080823
@whoisearth@lemmy.ca 2026-10-17 12:21

How many of you commenting here have skin in the game?

Open ##5081622
@Damage@feddit.it 2026-10-17 13:31

Why do I see all comments to this thread with vote = 0?

Open ##5082455
@trannus_aran@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2026-10-18 08:37

True, but the seal’s broken now

Open ##5102909
@LightDelaBlue@jlai.lu 2026-10-18 08:39

the pendorabox is open. its going be slop with times.

Open ##5102964