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

Tobias Frost <[email protected]> Wed, 29 Jul 2026 08:26:06 +0200
Newsgroups	gmane.linux.debian.devel.vote
Message-ID	<[email protected]>
Hi Marc,

thanks again for this option, seconded!

On Tue, Jul 28, 2026 at 09:51:33PM +0200, Marc Haber wrote:
> 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
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Marc Haber         | "I don't trust Computers. They | Mailadresse im Header
> Mannheim, Germany  |  lose things."    Winona Ryder | Fon: *49 621 72739834
> Nordisch by Nature |  How to make an American Quilt | Fax: *49 621 72739835
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