NetworkManager Adopts Policy For AI Coding Assistants

The latest high profile open-source project to commit to an AI coding policy is NetworkManager, the widely-used software for Linux network configuration.

Josephine Pfeiffer of Red Hat has committed the formal expectations on AI coding assistance for NetworkManager. The policy boils down to the author being accountable for the entire patch. AI/LLM coding assistance is permitted but the author must understand/review the patch and take responsibility -- including that the contribution is LGPLv2.1+ compatible. The NetworkManager policy also will not allow AI assistance in communication for the upstreaming/review of said patches.

The new AI policy text is:

AI coding assistants
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Authors are responsible for 100% of the code they submit. Do not send a patch you cannot explain, and do not send one you have not built and tested yourself.

Write your own commit messages and Merge Request descriptions. Those explain why you are making the change, which is the part a tool cannot know.

Respond to review comments yourself. If you cannot discuss your own patch with a reviewer, it will not be merged.

Everything in the Legal section applies unchanged. You are the one certifying that the contribution can be released under LGPL-2.1-or-later. A tool cannot certify that for you.

Large machine-generated Merge Requests that no human has reviewed line by line will be closed.

The AI coding policy was merged today via this FreeDesktop.org GitLab merge request.