Re: Ballot option: Allow AI-Assisted Contributions

Andrey Rakhmatullin <[email protected]> Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:40:15 +0500
Newsgroups	gmane.linux.debian.devel.vote
Message-ID	<[email protected]>
On Wed, Jul 22, 2026 at 09:31:10PM +0200, Lucas Nussbaum wrote:
>I would like to propose the following ballot option.
>
>This is the GR proposal from
>https://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2026/02/msg00000.html with
>amendments from the discussion back then.
>
>BEGIN PROPOSAL
>
># Allow AI-Assisted Contributions
>
>Using its power under Constitution section 4.1 (5), the project issues the
>following statement describing its current position on AI-assisted
>contributions. This statement describes the position of the project at the
>time it is adopted. That position may evolve as time passes without the need
>to resort to future general resolutions. The GR process remains available if
>the project needs a decision and cannot come to a consensus.
>
>The Debian project recognizes that AI-assisted contributions raise many
>concerns, e.g. about the technical quality and maintainability of such
>contributions, and their legal status. AI itself also raises additional
>concerns, about its impact on society at large, on the IT industry and on
>Free Software; about its environmental impact; and the aggressive or
>non-compliant practices of AI scrapers.
>
>Nevertheless, many Debian contributors find AI tools helpful when
>contributing to Debian, and ultimately for improving Debian.
>
>Given both the benefits and risks of AI assistance, and the controversial
>discussions within the community, the Debian project finds it necessary to
>clarify its position on AI-assisted contributions and establish clear
>guidelines.
>
>The Debian project allows AI-assisted contributions (partially or fully
>generated by an LLM), provided the following conditions are met:
>
>1. **Legal Compatibility:** Contributors should ensure that the terms and
>   conditions of the generative AI tool do not impose contractual
>   restrictions that conflict with the distribution, modification, or use of
>   the output in the context of Debian.
>
>2. **Licensing and Attribution:** If any pre-existing copyrighted materials
>   (including pre-existing code licensed as free software) authored or owned
>   by third parties are included in the AI tool’s output, prior to
>   contributing such output to the project, the contributor should verify
>   that such materials are available under a compatible license.
>   Additionally, the contributor should provide notice and attribution of
>   such third party rights, along with information about the applicable
>   license terms, with their contribution.
>
>3. **Accountability:** Contributors assume full responsibility for their
>   contributions, including vouching for the technical merit, security,
>   license compliance, and utility of their submissions. The contributor
>   remains solely accountable for the entirety of these contributions.
>   Contributors should fully understand the proposed changes and be prepared
>   to justify them.
>
>4. **Explicit Disclosure:** When a significant portion of the contribution
>   is taken from a tool without manual modification, contributors should
>   disclose the tool's use. This may be recorded using Git trailers, such as
>   `Generated-By:` or `Assisted-By:`.
>
>5. **Prior Discussion of Bulk or Automated Changes:** Similarly to the
>   mass-bug filing process (Developers Reference section 7.1.1),
>   contributors should discuss their intention before submitting bulk or
>   autonomously generated contributions. Any such automated process should
>   be overseen by a human who remains accountable for its behavior and
>   output.
>
>6. **Community Courtesy:** To respect the preferences of project members who
>   wish to avoid AI-generated content, contributors should clearly label
>   such content in mailing list and bug discussions (e.g., by identifying
>   such content with a clear disclaimer or a machine-readable tag like
>   `[AI-Generated]`).
>
>7. **Confidentiality and Privacy:** Contributors must not use generative AI
>   tools that transmit data to untrusted providers with non-public or
>   sensitive project information (such as embargoed security reports or
>   private communication), as this may lead to the unintended disclosure of
>   confidential data.
>
>END PROPOSAL
>
>- Lucas

I second this option.

-- 
WBR, wRAR
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