The LLVM compiler project has adopted a new policy banning code contributions submitted by AI agents without human approval, as well as AI-assisted contributions when not reviewed and understood by the contributor.
The policy is required because of the increasing number of “LLM [large language model] assisted nuisance contributions to the project,” according to the documentation update. The new policy follows a debate on the matter which highlights issues with AI-assisted code.
LLVM is among the most critical open source projects and its decisions may influence others facing similar problems. The cURL project recently closed its bug bounty program following pressure on maintainers caused by low quality AI submissions. Other projects to propose or adopt AI policies include Fedora Linux, Gentoo Linux, Rust, and QEMU; in most cases these are stricter than that adopted by LLVM.
The LLVM project’s AI policy is summarized as permitting AI assistance provided there is a human in the loop. This means not just glancing over the code, but that the contributor reviews all the code and is able to answer questions about it without reference back to the AI which generated it. In addition, contributors should label contributions that contain substantial AI-generated content. Agents which submit contributions without human approval are therefore forbidden.
