this post was submitted on 18 May 2026
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cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/tech/p/1131733/linus-torvalds-says-ai-powered-bug-hunters-have-made-linux-security-mailing-list-almost

The continued flood of AI reports has basically made the security list almost entirely unmanageable, with enormous duplication due to different people finding the same things with the same tools. People spend all their time just forwarding things to the right people or saying "that was already fixed a week/month ago" and pointing to the public discussion.

Which is all entirely pointless churn, and we're making it clear that AI detected bugs are pretty much by definition not secret, and treating them on some private list is a waste of time for everybody involved - and only makes that duplication worse because the reporters can't even see each other's reports.

AI tools are great, but only if they actually help, rather than cause unnecessary pain and pointless make-believe work. Feel free to use them, but use them in a way that is productive and makes for a better experience.

The documentation may be a bit less blunt than I am, but that's the core gist of it. So just to make it really clear: if you found a bug using AI tools, the chances are somebody else found it too. If you actually want to add value, read the documentation, create a patch too, and add some real value on top of what the AI did. Don't be the drive-by "send a random report with no real understanding" kind of person. Ok?

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[–] magikmw@piefed.social 67 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

Linus really did work on himself huh. Imagine early 2000s Torvalds responding to this.

[–] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 11 points 11 hours ago

The Gordon Ramsay of mailing lists

[–] eldavi@lemmy.ml 3 points 9 hours ago

he would sound like the graphene people. lol

[–] gary_host_laptop@lemmy.ml 13 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

@yogthos@lemmy.ml, Linus agrees with you that what you did with the Feds is totally okay. lol

Which is all entirely pointless churn, and we’re making it clear that AI detected bugs are pretty much by definition not secret, and treating them on some private list is a waste of time for everybody involved - and only makes that duplication worse because the reporters can’t even see each other’s reports.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 6 points 14 hours ago

I feel very validated :)

[–] SocialistVibes01@lemmy.ml 18 points 17 hours ago

What a shit show

[–] JohnDarlen@lemmy.today 26 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

I can't believe Linus is saying AI is "great" man. I mean even I know it has a few usages for very disposable things, but saying it's great... That's sad. It's very well known the dozens of issues that lies behind LLM use.

[–] AndrewZabar@lemmy.world 31 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I know you were just being glib, but I feel compelled to point out that given its context, it was only used as one might say "AI is all well and good, but...", like just using it to get to the real point, which is that in-and-of itself, without a person acting upon the AI's results, it is actually not great at all. Like any tool, it has to be used to help you accomplish something and not just set about to do your entire job for you. So he was actually saying the opposite.

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 4 points 16 hours ago

Told you so...

[–] racoon@lemmy.ml 3 points 15 hours ago

OpenBSD devs were right all along

[–] juipeltje@lemmy.world 5 points 18 hours ago

This was to be expected i guess

[–] whatiswrongwithyou@lemmy.ml 1 points 13 hours ago

I for one welcome our new public security mailing list!