Linus Torvalds backs AI in Linux, warns critics to fork or leave

The Linux kernel community has historically been pragmatic about adopting new tools based on their technical contribution rather than ideological purity. Torvalds' statement reflects that culture while directly rejecting a faction—not merely individuals but a broader "anti-LLM stance" he acknowledges exists within some people involved in the project—that sees AI as fundamentally problematic. His framing is notable: he does not deny that AI tools create friction ("painful," "extra work," "embarrassing bugs") but argues that imperfection is not unique to AI and that the solution is not rejection but evaluation on merit. The Sashiko case illustrates why this matters in practice. A code review system that reduces maintainer burden addresses a real constraint in open-source development, where the bottleneck is often human review capacity, not tooling. By positioning himself to "very loudly ignore" ideological objections while keeping the door open to technical critique, Torvalds is steering the project toward pragmatic integration of AI rather than either uncritical adoption or blanket rejection.