Do Son 
Kernel Maintainers Vote to Retire the Tag
At the Linux Kernel Maintainers Summit on October 8, attendees agreed to scrap the Assisted-by tag in patches. On October 14, the related revert patch landed in the documentation development branch.
However, the kernel’s public guide on AI-assisted development still asks maintainers to keep the tag. That wording should change once the patch reaches the published documentation.
Why the Tag Fell Short
The earlier guide told contributors to add an Assisted-by tag whenever an AI tool helped write a patch. The revert patch explains why that approach failed.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Before Linux 7.3-rc7, the kernel logged 18,533 non-merge changes. Only about 10 percent carried the tag. Yet real AI use is far more common than that figure suggests.
Missing Tags Prove Little
Maintainers argue that a missing tag does not show that a patch skipped AI help. Moreover, for developers who use AI tools often, the tag says little about what the AI actually did.
The revert patch therefore removes the tag requirement from the guide. It also strips checkpatch.pl of its special handling for the tag.
Human Responsibility Stays
Dropping the tag does not excuse anyone from accountability. The kernel’s guidance on AI-generated content still encourages submitters to explain their process in the patch description or changelog. They should state which tools they used, which parts the tools affected, and how they tested the result.
Maintainers can also ask for more testing, tighten their review, or reject a patch outright.
Submitters Still Own Their Code
Submitters must still review their own code, confirm license compliance, and answer for what they send in. In short, a missing tag changes the paperwork but not the duty.
Torvalds Rejects an AI Ban
During the debate over the tag, Linus Torvalds opposed any rule that bans developers from using AI tools. Instead, he stressed that maintainers should ask whether a developer understands the code they submit. The tool behind a contribution, he argued, is a poor measure of its quality.
Support Our Threat Intelligence
Find our tech and OS security coverage helpful? Support our work today and unlock a 100% ad-free reading experience!
Buy Me a Coffee
