Linux Kernel Could Soon Expose Every Line AI Helps Write

Sasha Levin, an Nvidia developer, proposed integrating AI coding assistants into the Linux kernel workflow. His patch series involves two primary changes. Configuration stubs will be created for various AI development tools like Claude and Copilot. These stubs will be linked to a central documentation file for uniformity. The core of the proposal establishes formal guidelines for handling AI-generated contributions to the kernel. AI assistants must identify themselves in commit messages using a "Co-developed-by:" tag. They cannot utilize the "Signed-off-by:" tag, which indicates developer responsibility. An example from the patch shows Claude correcting a typo and including the appropriate AI attribution. Levin's patch also adds a new Documentation/AI/ section. This new documentation clarifies the expectations and limitations of AI usage in kernel development. It reminds developers to adhere to kernel coding standards and development processes. The documentation emphasizes the importance of understanding licensing requirements when using AI. The limitations of AI in this context are also addressed in this new documentation.