KDE community divided over proposed generative AI guidelines

The KDE community is experiencing significant internal debate following a proposed draft policy regarding the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) and generative AI. Developer Nate Graham introduced a draft titled “Don’t be lazy,” which aimed to establish guidelines for AI-assisted contributions. The policy emphasized a “human in the loop” principle, instructing contributors not to use AI to replace personal judgment, learning, or interpersonal communication.

The proposal met with substantial pushback from the community. Discussions on the KDE Invent tracking system involved nearly 50 contributors, highlighting disagreements over code quality, mandatory disclosure labels, and the environmental impact of AI training data centers. The controversy led to the formation of a grassroots group, “KDE for People,” which has called for a total ban on generative AI across the Plasma desktop environment and its components.

As of late September, KDE has not adopted the proposed draft nor the requested ban. The project is expected to release a revised policy following the period of intense community feedback.