What is Sashiko and what can it do?

Sashiko is an agentic Linux kernel code review system that its creators claim can independently find 53.6 percent of the bugs that would end up being fixed by human coders in later commits. However, it also produces false positive reports of bugs that don't exist at a rate its maintainers estimate is "well within [the] 20% range."

What did the Software Freedom Conservancy say about AI in open source?

The Software Freedom Conservancy issued a statement saying the open source community "should support, not just tolerate, those who outright reject LLM-gen-AI systems" and that "every FOSS contributor deserves self-determination regarding LLM-gen-AI." Torvalds rejected this position.

What are Torvalds's exact words on AI tools in Linux?

Torvalds said that "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." He also stated: "We're not forcing anybody to use [LLM tools], but I will very loudly ignore people who try to argue against other people from using it."

Open-Source AIAI Coding AssistantsArs Technica AIJul 17, 2026Jul 17, 2026, 10:00 JST3 min read

Linus Torvalds backs AI tools for Linux, tells critics to fork or leave

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Key takeaway

Linus Torvalds, the creator and top-level maintainer of Linux, has publicly backed the use of AI-powered coding tools in the Linux kernel project and told critics opposed to AI-generated code to either fork the project or leave.
The statement comes as the Linux community debates the use of Sashiko, an AI system that can independently find 53.6 percent of bugs later fixed by humans but also produces false positive reports at a rate estimated around 20 percent.
Torvalds rejected recent calls from the Software Freedom Conservancy for the open source community to support those who outright reject LLM systems, signaling that Linux will not adopt an anti-AI stance.

3 Key Points

What happened
In a post to the Linux kernel mailing list this week, creator Linus Torvalds said he is "willing to absolutely put my foot down" in support of using AI tools in the Linux project, and told those opposed to LLM-generated code to "fork it. Or just walk away." The statement came during a debate over Sashiko, an AI system that Torvalds said can independently find 53.6 percent of bugs that would later be fixed by human coders, though it also generates false positive bug reports at an estimated rate "well within [the] 20% range."
Why it matters
Torvalds rejected a recent Software Freedom Conservancy statement urging the open source community to "support, not just tolerate" those who reject LLM-generated AI systems. His position signals that a major open source project will not adopt an anti-AI stance, even as some contributors demand self-determination over whether to accept AI-assisted code. For developers and maintainers, this means Linux's leadership is choosing to embrace AI tooling despite internal opposition.
What to watch
Whether other major open source projects adopt similar stances, and how the Linux community manages the volume of Sashiko's automated bug reports—both accurate findings and false positives—without overwhelming maintainers.

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Context & Analysis

The Linux kernel has long been a symbol of collaborative open source development, but it now sits at the center of a broader ideological divide within the open source community over artificial intelligence. On one side are developers and organizations like the Software Freedom Conservancy who believe contributors should have the right to reject AI-generated code entirely and that projects should actively support that choice. On the other side are those like Torvalds who see AI tools as a practical aid to developer productivity and see no reason to ban them.

Torvalds's strong stance—inviting critics to leave rather than compromise—reflects his long history of being willing to make unilateral decisions for the Linux project based on what he believes is best for it. His backing of Sashiko, despite its false positive rate, suggests he views the tool's ability to catch real bugs as outweighing the inconvenience of some noise. The question now is whether his position will embolden or alienate other major open source projects, and whether the Linux community can manage the practical challenge of handling both accurate and spurious automated bug reports without burning out human maintainers.

FAQ

What is Sashiko and what can it do?: Sashiko is an agentic Linux kernel code review system that its creators claim can independently find 53.6 percent of the bugs that would end up being fixed by human coders in later commits. However, it also produces false positive reports of bugs that don't exist at a rate its maintainers estimate is "well within [the] 20% range."
What did the Software Freedom Conservancy say about AI in open source?: The Software Freedom Conservancy issued a statement saying the open source community "should support, not just tolerate, those who outright reject LLM-gen-AI systems" and that "every FOSS contributor deserves self-determination regarding LLM-gen-AI." Torvalds rejected this position.
What are Torvalds's exact words on AI tools in Linux?: Torvalds said that "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." He also stated: "We're not forcing anybody to use [LLM tools], but I will very loudly ignore people who try to argue against other people from using it."

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