25% of Incoming Pull Requests May Be AI Slop, Finds Study From Linux Foundation Research
"59% of maintainers report growing contribution volume since the rise of GenAI," according to a new study published by Linux Foundation Research. But 25% of their incoming pull requests "are estimated to be low-quality, also known as 'AI slop'." And on large projects, 69% see growing contributions — and estimate that 31% are low-quality/AI slop. So what do these results show us? "Generative AI is…
A recent study from Linux Foundation Research reveals that approximately 25% of incoming pull requests to open source projects may be of low quality, often referred to as "AI slop," due to the increasing involvement of AI-generated contributions. This trend is altering how individuals participate in open source development, according to experts.
The head of Open Source Ecosystem Development at Huawei's R&D subsidiary Futurewei noted that while AI lowers barriers to entry for contributors, it also introduces new challenges for maintainers and communities.
Open source projects must develop governance, transparency, and trust mechanisms to ensure that AI-assisted contributions enhance the ecosystem without overwhelming it. Hilary Carter, SVP of Research at the Linux Foundation, emphasized the importance of setting clear expectations for AI-generated contributions and providing maintainers with better tools for managing incoming pull requests.
The study surveyed 234 contributors and maintainers on how generative AI is impacting open source software development. Key findings include that 64% reported longer review times, with burnout being the top concern at 63%, closely followed by the quality of contributions at 60%. Moreover, 35% of respondents indicated that their project lacks a formal policy permitting AI use, while 32% have none and no plans to establish one. Conversely, 23% plan to create a policy, and 10% outright ban AI contributions.
Notably, 71% of maintainers believe that AI lowers entry barriers for newcomers, but 53% disagreed that it has enhanced community trust. Developers utilizing AI are reinvesting the time saved into open source projects, using it to address technical debt, develop new features, and for learning and upskilling. However, 46% of maintainers believe that AI increases the need for mentorship of new contributors, a view held by 32% who think it decreases that need.
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