# Debian: AI-friendly

> By general resolution in August 2026, Debian chose "Responsible Use of Generative AI" over seven other options, including bans. Generative AI is neither endorsed nor prohibited: contributors must understand, review and test AI-assisted output, consider licensing and remain fully accountable. Disclosure is encouraged but not required, and mass automated actions need prior discussion and human oversight.

- What it is: The universal operating system, one of the oldest community Linux distributions. (Linux distribution)
- Homepage: https://www.debian.org/
- Repository: https://salsa.debian.org/
- Overall stance: AI-friendly (Friendly). AI-assisted contributions are welcome under the same rules as any other contribution.
- Last classified: 2026-10-09 (manual review, medium confidence)
- Policy last changed: 2026-10-09
- Web page: https://areweaifriendly.com/projects/debian/

## Policy by area

- **Code contributions**: AI-friendly (Contributor takes full responsibility; A human must review the output; Output must be license-compatible)
- **Issues & bug reports**: AI-friendly (Contributor takes full responsibility)
- **AI-written text**: No AI policy

## In their own words

- Code contributions: "Debian neither endorses nor prohibits the use of generative AI tools in the development, maintenance, or documentation of software, packaging, documentation, and other media published within the Debian Project." (https://www.debian.org/vote/2026/vote_002)
- Code contributions: "Contributors are expected to understand, review, test, and, where appropriate, modify AI-assisted output before incorporating it into Debian." (https://www.debian.org/vote/2026/vote_002)
- Code contributions: "We enourage our contributors to disclose whether a contribution was made with AI assitance, but do not require them to do so." (https://www.debian.org/vote/2026/vote_002)
- Code contributions: "to consider the provenance and licensing implications of material they contribute" (https://www.debian.org/vote/2026/vote_002)
- Issues & bug reports: "Contributors intending to perform actions with broad project impact, such as mass bug filing or patch submission, large-scale code modifications, or other automated changes or requests affecting many packages or contributors, should seek prior discussion and consensus through the appropriate project channels before proceeding." (https://www.debian.org/vote/2026/vote_002)
- Issues & bug reports: "Any such automated process should be overseen by a human who remains accountable for its behavior and output." (https://www.debian.org/vote/2026/vote_002)

## Sources

- [Debian General Resolution 2026-002: LLM usage in Debian](https://www.debian.org/vote/2026/vote_002), fetched 2026-10-09