Ballet Option "Responsible use of Generative AI" (was: Draft permissive ballot option) from Debian)

Marc Haber <[email protected]> Tue, 28 Jul 2026 21:51:33 +0200
Newsgroups	gmane.linux.debian.devel.vote
Message-ID	<[email protected]>
Here is my suggestion for a permissive ballot option. Disclaimer: 
generative AI and manual review of the output was used in preparing this 
option.

BALLOT OPTION

**Responsible Use of Generative AI**

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.

Debian neither endorses nor prohibits the use of generative AI tools in 
the development, maintenance, or documentation of software, packaging, 
documentation, and other media published within the Debian Project. We 
recognize that such tools can substantially improve the productivity of 
contributors when used responsibly, allowing volunteers to spend more of 
their limited time on work that requires technical expertise, judgment, 
review, and collaboration.

The Debian Project nevertheless expects that all contributions submitted 
to Debian, regardless of how and with which tools they were produced, 
satisfy the same standards of quality, correctness, maintainability, and 
legal compliance. The use of a generative AI tool does not diminish the 
contributor's responsibility for the work they submit. Contributors are 
expected to understand, review, test, and, where appropriate, modify 
AI-assisted output before incorporating it into Debian. Blindly 
accepting or uploading AI-generated material without appropriate human 
review is inconsistent with Debian's established development practices. 
We enourage our contributors to disclose whether a contribution was made 
with AI assitance, but do not require them to do so.

Debian acknowledges that the legal status of material produced by 
generative AI systems remains the subject of ongoing discussion in many 
jurisdictions, including questions relating to copyright, authorship, 
licensing, and potential reproduction of training material. The Project 
does not seek to resolve these unsettled legal questions through this 
General Resolution, nor does it adopt a position on whether AI-generated 
output is, in whole or in part, copyrightable or derived from 
copyrighted works.

Instead, Debian continues to rely on the judgment and responsibility of 
its individual contributors. Project members are expected to exercise 
appropriate care when using generative AI tools, to consider the 
provenance and licensing implications of material they contribute, and 
to avoid introducing content whose legal status they cannot reasonably 
justify. Existing Debian policies governing licensing, copyright, 
software freedom, and the acceptance of contributions continue to apply 
irrespective of the tools used to produce those contributions.

Contributors are expected to exercise appropriate care when designing 
and implementing workflows that incorporate generative AI tools. In 
particular, they should ensure that confidential information, private 
communications, security-sensitive information (such as embargoed 
information about security bugs that is not yet public), cryptographic 
keys, credentials, and other non-public material relating to the Debian 
Project, its infrastructure, or its community are not disclosed to 
third-party AI services unless such disclosure has been explicitly 
authorized and is consistent with Debian's security and privacy 
requirements.

The use of generative AI does not alter Debian's established 
expectations regarding large-scale or automated project actions. 
Contributors intending to perform actions with broad project impact, 
such as mass bug filing or patch submission, large-scale code 
modifications, or other automated changes or requests affecting many 
packages or contributors, should seek prior discussion and consensus 
through the appropriate project channels before proceeding. Any such 
automated process should be overseen by a human who remains accountable 
for its behavior and output.

This resolution therefore affirms that generative AI is neither exempt 
from nor subject to special rules beyond the standards already expected 
of Debian contributors. The responsibility for every contribution rests 
with the contributor who submits it, who remains accountable for its 
technical quality, legal acceptability, and suitability for inclusion in 
Debian.


END BALLOT OPTION



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