2026-08-31 22:09 UTC
I really feel like we had several prominent FOSS organizations fail us by not saying "hey hold on, don't use generative AI in FOSS projects, we're not sure what the legal, community, environmental implications of this are but there are serious problems and we have a history of taking a stand" and I worry that maybe we lost our moment to be principled, except in niche spaces, and the walls are closing in
And... I'm really sad about it. I think we're underestimating the amount of damage that's happening. :\
Replies (1)
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@cwebber@social.coop 2026-08-31 22:11
I don't think you can put all else aside, but even just focusing on the maintainability of code itself... Using these tools to uncover bugs, sure. Using them to generate code that nobody in your community fully understands... well... And I know, you say, you'll be responsible about it. But you won't be able to keep up, justifying keeping up with that level of review won't happen. So you'll slip. And you'll eventually embrace not knowing. And so is everyone else around you. And so, decades of work are knotting up and the foundations are ensaring beneath our feet. And we could have, collectively, organizationally, taken a stand, and we didn't.