Linus Torvalds says Linux kernel is using a healthier model for AI contributions

Linus Torvalds posted the first release candidate for version 7.4 of the Linux kernel and said the project has found a much healthier model for using AI. The merge window contains almost 20,000 commits, compared with the usual roughly 15,000 that developers submit for a new kernel cut. He said he is much happier with AI-triggered work entering the merge window than appearing mainly as extra fixes during the release candidate period.

Merge window size and AI work

Torvalds wrote that the unusually large number of commits may be a sign that AI fixes are becoming more part of normal development than a flood of fixes during the stabilization phase. He added that people are expecting 7.4 to be the next long-term support release, which is another independent reason some releases are larger. 'So it may not just be the flood of AI patches,' he said.

AI patches and rewriting

Torvalds described the release as large and full of fixes for issues found by AI. He said more and more patches have been suggested by AI too, although they often get rewritten. AMD GPU register offsets and bit masks make up a third of the changes this time around.

Hardware support and security tweaks

The kernel-watchers at Phoronix rate the major inclusions in Linux 7.4 as improved support for processors from AMD, Apple, and Google. Other additions include tweaks to improve security for virtual machines, support for the Raspberry Pi 10-inch monitor, and more work to get Linux running happily on Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 SoC for PCs. Torvalds wrote that the project has been through similar large changes before and told readers to ignore the noise.

Sources: The Register