Linus Torvalds says AI has made 'huge' Linux kernel updates the new normal
He’s not thrilled, but won’t let it delay the release of version 7.2
Linux kernel chief Linus Torvalds has declared that the project has entered a new era of massive updates, thanks to the influence of AI. In his weekly kernel update, Torvalds expressed that the current release candidate, rc7, for Linux 7.2 is "huge" and possibly the largest rc6 release in recent years, based on commit count. Despite his reservations about its size, Torvalds acknowledges that the update comprises mostly small changes, with a few significant modifications.
He highlighted three major additions: s390/zcrypt fixes, the reintegration of btrfs fixup worker infrastructure, and some netfilter ipset enhancements. Torvalds has a mixed opinion on AI's role in the Linux kernel. While he has previously criticized developers using AI to contribute subpar code and expressed concerns about an overwhelming number of AI-generated bug reports, he has also welcomed AI-assisted contributions.
Torvalds believes the recent influx of AI-generated changes is manageable and emphasizes that the overall update is a mix of tiny fixes spread across various components, including drivers, filesystems, core networking, and architectural code. The Linux 7.2 release, which won't be a long-term support version, will feature enhancements like improved scheduling for GPUs and CPUs.
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