Hi -
> [...]
> The elfutils project does not currently accept contributions
> containing output generated by Large Language Models (LLMs) [4]. Use
> of LLMs to research, analyze or debug a contribution is allowed as
> long as no LLM-generated output is included in the contribution. [...]
For the record, I believe this is a not the best approach.
For a contribution to be submitted and accepted, all the elfutils
project needs in a legal sense is the DCO sign-off. From a practical
sense, it needs someone who is willing to stand behind the patch,
respond to reviews and future bug reports. Neither of those is
impeded by including LLM-generated output.
CONTRIBUTING/DCO just needs:
[...]
(a) The contribution was created in whole or in part by me,
and I have the right to submit the contribution under each
license indicated in, or otherwise designated as being
applicable to, the file.
[...]
An LLM-assisted contribution is indeed created in whole or part by a
human contributor, and pragmatic analysis can make the chance of
material license infringment infinitesimal, ergo "right to submit".
I fear that by being so nervous, we are going to exclude some people
who could make useful contributions. Productivity gains from
AI-enhanced IDEs are widely reported - and I can personally testify to
them.
Also by being so nervous, we are going to motivate other people to
just casually use LLMs in their work, but neither disclose this nor
bother with even cursory license investigation, because it would just
be punished by rejection.
Both these leave the project worse off than if we didn't bother with a
policy at all. We heve never before second-guessed contributors'
assertions about their right-to-submit, contemplated asking them to
spell out their exact workflow, or shamed them for using the wrong
tools. And should an actual infringement situation arise, it need be
no different in the LLM vs. non-LLM case, just revert and clean up.
The remote risks of LLM infringement do not seem - to me - worth this
change in tone. I understand that this is an elfutils maintainership
type decision, but I respectfully dissent.
- FChE
