Linus Torvalds Uses AI to Write Linux Kernel Code, Drops Mandatory Disclosure Requirements
11 Sources
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Linus Torvalds is using AI to develop Linux kernel code now - ZDNET
* Torvalds just released a set of patches, which were largely written with Anthropic's Claude Code. * These new patches address an unsolved memory cache slowdown problem when using multiple cores and processors. * Linus Torvalds had been moving closer to favoring AI, and this was the final step
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Linus Torvalds posts his first AI-assisted patch to the Linux kernel, synthetic test clocks 23x performance leap -- the bossman makes use of AI tooling himself after issuing clear pro-AI directives
That seemingly didn't stop the pro- and against-AI camps in the kernel from continuing to bicker, though. After a few revisions of his position on AI-assisted contributions to the Linux kernel, Linus Torvalds has posted his own first LLM-assisted patch. The development branch purports to fix an
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Linus Torvalds "Did What I Preach", Used AI To Make Code Decipherable & Uncovered More Bugs
Claude Code to draft code to help make a fundamental improvement to the Linux kernel, Linux creator Linus Torvalds continued using AI this weekend and talking up its benefits. Beyond generating initial patches and a test program for that noted I/O enhancement, he separately talked up using AI/LLMs
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Linux kernel devs drop obligatory confession of AI tool usage
Despite previous controversies, it seems like the lords of Linux are warming to AI-assisted coding. The penguin's kernel community has agreed to stop asking coders to disclose whether they used bots to help with their contributions. And Linux kernel supremo Linus Torvalds has made clear that he
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Linus calls banning AI-generated code "utterly stupid" as Linux submissions no longer need LLM disclosure
* Kernel submissions no longer require the "Assisted-by" LLM disclosure. * Maintainers deprecated "Assisted-by" after the Prague summit; AI use no longer needs declaration. * Torvalds calls banning AI "utterly stupid" and insists contributors must understand their code. There has been a big
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'I use AI to do the things that I'm bad at': Linus Torvalds on why it works for him - ZDNET
* Torvalds likes AI for showing new developers the joy of programming. * Torvalds discussed changes in the Linux kernel development process. * AI has become a vital component in finding and fixing bugs in the Linux kernel. PRAGUE - Many open-source developers still dislike AI. The latest example
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Linus Torvalds Working On A Hefty Linux Kernel Improvement With Claude Code
Linux creator Linus Torvalds has been known to use AI to help with kernel debugging and outside of the kernel tree has also done some vibe coding with Google's Antigravity. He has previously said he views AI as a useful tool. It turns out he's even now using Claude Code for working on new Linux
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Torvalds AI rules row: Linux drops its AI disclosure tag
Kernel maintainers have dropped the rule asking contributors to disclose AI use. When a developer objected, Linus Torvalds told him to stop using compilers too. Understanding the code is what counts, he says. "Do you not see how UTTERLY STUPID those kinds of rules would be?" Linus Torvalds wrote
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As the Linux community debates LLM-generated content rules, Linus Torvalds says he "really likes using AI"
* AI is a wonderful tool if used correctly and makes programming more enjoyable, says Linus. * He warns to be careful using LLMs for serious work, but it makes for a great tool for personal and fun projects. * He uses AI to fill gaps-converts ideas across languages and aids tasks he's weak
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Linux founder Linus Torvalds says AI is a "gateway drug" into programming -- but cautions about using AI for "serious" work
AI-generated code is putting immense stress on maintainers, Torvalds claims For all the doom and gloom headlines AI is driving these days, one important person just gave a refreshing new take on it - none other than Linus Torvalds, the founder and key maintainer of the Linux kernel. At the recent
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Linux kernel drops AI-contribution disclosure rule, as Linus Torvalds says banning the tech would be 'utterly stupid'
The key thing for Torvalds is that you understand the code you submit, not how you made it. The Linux kernel has dropped a rule, implemented in January this year, that required contributors submitting code to the project to explicitly declare any usage of AI tools in that code's creation. At the
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Linux creator Linus Torvalds released his first AI-assisted patch to the Linux kernel using Anthropic's Claude Code, addressing a decade-old cache contention issue. The Linux kernel community simultaneously deprecated mandatory AI tool usage disclosure, with Torvalds calling AI bans "utterly stupid" while emphasizing developers must understand their code.
Linus Torvalds Submits First AI-Assisted Patch to the Linux Kernel
Linus Torvalds announced he used AI to write code for the Linux kernel, marking a significant shift in his approach to AI-assisted coding. In his Git submission, Torvalds stated, "The code, the test programs, the review behind the list above and the first draft of this text were done with an LLM coding assistant (Claude Code) under my direction."
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The AI-assisted patch to the Linux kernel addresses a long-standing memory cache slowdown problem when using multiple cores and processors, an issue that has plagued developers since 2024.1
Source: Tom's Hardware
Performance Gains from AI-Generated Code
The patches tackle cache contention in Linux's page cache, where multiple threads reading small amounts of data from the same cached file create bottlenecks. Using Anthropic's Claude Code, Torvalds developed a solution that defers memory reuse until a read-copy-update (RCU) grace period has elapsed. In synthetic testing on a four-core, eight-thread Intel Core i7-8565U laptop, eight-thread throughput jumped from approximately 9.9-10.4 million reads per second to 30-33 million reads per second.
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Kernel cycles per read dropped from roughly 2,950 to 725, representing a 23x performance improvement in dedicated benchmarks.2
Single-thread reads improved more modestly, from about 452-454 cycles to 408-409 cycles per read.1
Source: Phoronix
AI for Code Generation Uncovers Additional Bugs
Beyond generating initial patches for performance improvements, Torvalds used LLM tools to make sense of obscure code in the assoc_array library. When reviewing a bug report from Nils Ollrogge, Torvalds employed AI to split up larger, hard-to-read functions and make the code more decipherable. This AI-assisted review not only confirmed the original bug but discovered three other bugs that had existed in the code since the very first commit adding this library back in 2013.
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Torvalds explained in the assoc-array-fixes Git tag that he "did what I preach: use modern LLM tools to help make sense of it all."3
Source: Phoronix
Linux Kernel Development Drops Mandatory AI Disclosure
The Linux kernel community reached consensus at the Maintainers Summit in Prague on October 8, 2026, to deprecate the Assisted-by tag requirement. Sasha Levin, a Linux kernel developer and engineer at Nvidia, announced in a message to the Linux kernel mailing list: "The Maintainers Summit reached consensus to deprecate the Assisted-by Tag. Remove the documentation requiring it."
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The policy had previously required developers using "any sort of advanced coding tool in the creation of [their] patch" to acknowledge this through an Assisted-by tag in the commit message.4
Torvalds Calls AI Bans "Utterly Stupid"
Linus Torvalds responded emphatically to concerns about removing AI tool usage disclosure requirements. He compared arguments against AI-assisted coding to hypothetical bans on compilers or text editors, stating: "Here's a new rule just for you: don't use compilers for any of your kernel submissions. Because if you can't show that you really understand what the machine is actually doing by writing your code in assembler, then I don't want to see your code contribution."
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Torvalds concluded by asking, "Do you not see how UTTERLY STUPID those kinds of rules would be?" and emphasized that he simply expects people working on the Linux kernel to "understand what they are doing."5
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Evolution from AI Skepticism to Hands-On Use
Torvalds's journey with AI-assisted coding reflects a gradual evolution. In December 2023, he described AI as a potential aid to developers, saying, "I see AI as a tool that can help us be better at what we do," though his interest focused primarily on debugging rather than code generation.
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By late 2025, Torvalds called himself "a huge believer in AI as a tool," expressing interest in using it for maintaining code and reviewing patches.1
In January 2026, he began experimenting with AI for code generation in a hobby project involving a Python audio visualizer before applying it to serious Linux kernel development.1
Implications for Software Development Practices
The shift in AI for code generation policy signals broader acceptance within the Linux kernel community, though debates persist. Jeff Layton, a Linux kernel developer with Red Hat, explained that the tag requirement was reversed because not everyone followed it, it served as "free advertising for proprietary LLM companies," and "it's not clear why we want to collect this info in the first place."
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Greg Kroah-Hartman, a veteran Linux kernel maintainer, noted at the Linux Foundation's Open Source Summit in South Korea that "LLMs are good enough now" and "They've gotten good enough to find bugs because LLMs, AI, are just pattern matchers and code is nothing but patterns in a specific format."4
The noref-filemap-read-with-llm branch remains outside the mainline Linux 7.3-rc6, with merge timing for the upcoming Linux 7.4 merge window still uncertain.1
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