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

On Tue, Jul 28, 2026 at 07:00:45AM -0600, Sam Hartman wrote:
>I second this proposal and prefer it to the one I seconded previously.
>I support this as an amendment to the previous proposal from Charles.

I don't see that proposal as a solution for the issue we are facing. 
Calling out to the community to develop Free AI is orthogonal to 
allowing or forbidding the use of ALL AI in Debian.

Let's compare that with automobiles.

We have combustion engines.

We have electric cars.

Many people object to having electric cars and would prefer to continue 
using the inferior and outdated combustion engine because that's how we 
always did it. Those people are now calling out to the Industry to 
create "highly efficient" combustion engines, giving that those will be 
up to par or even better than electric cars.

Now replace the combustion engine with "everythign written by a human", 
electric cars with "using AI assistance" and "free AI models" with 
"highly efficient combustion engines". We neither have "highly effient 
combustion engines" nor do we have "free AI models" that are able to 
compete with the non-free things that were aleady available.

The only thing that this proposal can result in for us is a prohibition 
to use the currently available "free as in beer" AI models.

>I also strongly agree that it is appropriate for this proposal to be on
>the same ballot. Often there is disagreement on what the question under
>discussion is. Especially in controversial situations, we will not be
>able to agree on that, and our voting process does not force us to do
>so.

If that proposal is on the ballot, we should be able to take TWO 
decisions as this one just postpones the problem.

>In my mind, I consider these proposal related  because I think that if
>there is strong free AI, the objections people have to the use of AI in
>Debian will be largely addressed.

I am pretty sure that I would not buy the hardware needed to run a local 
AI model on.

>So, rather than supporting a bunch of rules around the use of AI in
>Debian, I support us putting energy behind building free AI.

So this proposal is being supported because it deliberately doesn't apply 
changes to the current situation?

Greetings
Marc