[RFC/PATCH] SubmittingPatches: forbid use of genAI to generate changes

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Jun 30, 2025, 20:32 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqcyalm0mh.fsf@gitster.g>

Following the example set by QEMU folks, let's explicitly forbid use of genAI tools until the copyright and license situations become more clear. Here is what QEMU folks say in their commit to adopt such a rule:

    The DCO requires contributors to assert they have the right to
    contribute under the designated project license. Given the lack
    of consensus on the licensing of AI code generator output, it is
    not considered credible to assert compliance with the DCO clause
    (b) or (c) where a patch includes such generated code.

and it applies equally well to ours.

Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
---
 Documentation/SubmittingPatches | 17 +++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 17 insertions(+)

diff --git c/Documentation/SubmittingPatches w/Documentation/SubmittingPatches
index 958e3cc3d5..63fd10ce39 100644
--- c/Documentation/SubmittingPatches
+++ w/Documentation/SubmittingPatches
@@ -439,6 +439,23 @@ highlighted above.
 Only capitalize the very first letter of the trailer, i.e. favor
 "Signed-off-by" over "Signed-Off-By" and "Acked-by:" over "Acked-By".
 
+
+[[ai]]
+=== Use of AI content generators
+
+This project requires that contributors certify that their
+contributions are made under Developer's Certificate of Origin 1.1,
+which in turn means that contributors must understand the full
+provenance of what they are contributing.  With AI content generators,
+the copyright or license status of their output is ill-defined, without
+any generally accepted legal foundation.
+
+Hence, the project asks that contributors refrain from using AI content
+generators on changes that are submitted to the project.
+Contributions in which use of AI is either known or suspected may not
+be accepted.
+
+
 [[git-tools]]
 === Generate your patch using Git tools out of your commits.