Re: Ballot option: Allow AI-Assisted Contributions

Simon Quigley <[email protected]> Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:50:48 -0500
Newsgroups	gmane.linux.debian.devel.vote
Message-ID	<[email protected]>
On 7/22/26 02:31 PM, Lucas Nussbaum wrote:
> Hi,
>
> On 22/07/26 at 17:35 +0200, Matthias Geiger wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> What follows is a GR proposal to ban LLM contributions.
> 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.

-- 
Simon Quigley
[email protected]
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