Signed and updated ballot option: Call the Free Software community to develop Free AI.

Charles Plessy <[email protected]> Tue, 28 Jul 2026 05:46:12 +0900

Newsgroups	gmane.linux.debian.devel.vote
Message-ID	<[email protected]>

Hi Anibal,

thanks for your support!

Here is an amended draft ballot based on Sam's commments.

---- Draft ballot: Call the Free Software community to write Free AI ----

We the Debian project, are a community that produces a Free operating system by
integrating Free software core components as well as thousands of applications
and accessories.  Respect and diversity are among our core values.

We affirm that:

  * AI models should not be used against the authors of their training data.

  * The output of AI models trained on software that requires that derivatives
    must be distributed under the same terms should follow this requirement.

  * The training data of AI models should be broadly accessible for study,
    audit, reproduction and modification.

It has been said by some that this is impossible; we believe it to be wrong.
We call to the Free Software community to write such AI models that follow our
core values and can be integrated in our operating system to empower our users
to uses of this technology while respecting Free Software, privacy, diversity
and environment.

---- End draft ballot ----

I just wrote a long email to Ian, but for everybody's convenience, and
to answer Lucas, Stefano and Adrian, here is a short Q&A?

  * Why problem does this ballot address ?  It addresses the "we have a
    problem, let's vote a GR" problem.

  * Why not NOTA ?  I worry that it may invite attempts to make a
    "better" GR, or that it will be given a face-slapping interpretation.

  * Can it be interpreted as violating the DFSG ?  Yes, but it also has
    interpretations that do not violate the DFSGs.  Please assume I
    mean those.

  * Why a GR ballot to decide nothing ?  Because there is a GR regardless
    this ballot or not.  I am happy to withdraw the ballot (proposal, at this
    stage) if everybody else does so too.

  * If Proposals 2 and 4 do not take anything from you, why do you oppose ?
    Because they are as divisive (partly because of the existence of the
    other ballots), and because they will leave us with unenforcable
    rules, and having too many of them is toxic.

I welcome further improvements of the text of the draft ballot.

Have a nice day,

Charles

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