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

Timo Röhling <[email protected]> Tue, 28 Jul 2026 23:01:44 +0200
Newsgroups	gmane.linux.debian.devel.vote
Organization	The Debian Project
Message-ID	<[email protected]>
* Marc Haber <[email protected]> [2026-07-28 21:51]:
>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

I second this proposal.


Cheers
Timo

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