I’ve started to sketch out a policy in https://wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/AI_Policy#Proposed_Policy. Comments welcome, either here or on the page’s Discussions tab (aka Talk page).
Regards, John Ralls > On Aug 14, 2026, at 09:53, John Ralls <[email protected]> wrote: > > David, > > Thank you for your insights. You’re right, there is no policy there. It’s a > work-in-progress, currently summarizing objections to use of AI in open > source projects and how some other projects have addressed those objections. > To make that clearer I’ve just added the top-level heading "This page is a > working draft. There is currently no official policy.” > > Regards, > John Ralls > > >> On Aug 14, 2026, at 00:31, David T. via gnucash-user >> <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Long message here. Sorry in advance! >> >> ;TLDR; The AI policy page needs edits which I feel unqualified to make, but >> I think a discussion by the group as a whole is warranted. Delete if you're >> not interested. >> >> In another thread, the GnuCash AI policy (wiki.gnucash.org/wiki/AI_Policy) >> was cited as a concern for script consideration. I was unaware of this page >> and consulted it. >> >> I appreciate the effort that John Ralls has put into this page, and the >> amount of welcome detail included therein. >> >> However, I see a number of areas that concern me about the page, and I think >> that the larger group should examine the page and weigh in. >> >> First off: there is, actually, no policy stated on the page. The Opening >> Section raises a number of legitimate concerns regarding AI use and ethics, >> which strongly suggest that the GnuCash team does not want AI code included. >> But then the Other Projects section presents information from numerous other >> MAJOR open source projects that cover a very wide range of AI acceptance. >> This section in essence undermines whatever position may have been the >> team's intention. >> >> In other words, the two sections make it difficult for a reader to >> articulate what GnuCash's policy is or might be. That needs to be fixed, >> most likely with a GnuCash Policy section that unambiguously states what the >> team will or will not accept. See below. >> >> Another concern I have is that the opening section includes a range of >> concerns that are fundamentally different in their focus. I think some >> consideration should be made as to how these are presented or argued. >> Perhaps, for example, quality and skills could be grouped and addressed >> together, with a focus on results for GnuCash code, while the legal issues >> could focus on GnuCash liability. >> >> I won't quibble about the section about quality, except to note that bad >> quality code can come from any source--including and especially from human >> contributors. One reason I don't contribute code anywhere is because I SUCK >> at coding, and my code is terrible. I'll also note that the tools have >> advanced at a staggering pace, to the point where Linus himself is embracing >> their use in the Linux kernel. >> (<https://lore.kernel.org/linux-media/CAHk-=wi4zc+ze8e+p3tmv8ttg_80kzsz1syl9anbtmeh5z4...@mail.gmail.com/>) >> >> I have no qualms about the provenance piece. That's clearly an area that >> John has a lot of expertise! >> >> I personally don't have the legal expertise to judge the conclusions of the >> copyrightability of AI code, and while I respect John's greater knowledge >> and experience in this area, I question whether anyone can tell where these >> legal boundaries lie, and where they will end up. >> >> While the assertion that AI generated code cannot be copyrighted is accurate >> at this time, I suspect the boundaries on this will move substantially when >> the legal world gets involved. For instance, I guarantee that someone will >> file a case claiming that their code deserves protection based on some >> percentage of their own oversight and contribution, and the courts will >> issue some kind of decision that will piss someone else off, who will then >> appeal, etc. And eventually, the superannuated fuddy-duddies in Washington >> will call for hearings (some one of them will angrily insist that they need >> to see this Claude guy in the witness box Im-me-di-ate-ly!) and eventually >> create a badly crafted law to establish how copyright should apply in these >> situations. But I'm definitely not in a position to know where this ends up. >> >> Moving on, the question of skill development is fair, but one that is much >> larger than the GnuCash project, and I question whether it's relevant for >> GnuCash's AI policy page. To put this in perspective, college students >> around the world are questioning whether they should stick with Comp Sci as >> a major, given the market trends. And while it's in GnuCash's interest to >> have skilled coders contributing to the project, see my note above about >> quality code. AI isn't necessarily the problem; lazy people who think they >> can get complex code handed to them without doing their own work are. >> >> I personally agree with the issues regarding LLMs as netizens. >> >> Because I am Unqualified But Opinionated (UBO), I'll offer here a suggested >> addition to the wiki page. It could go at the top or the bottom, as >> appropriate: >> >> --------- >> GnuCash AI Policy >> Given the concerns and issues raised here, as well as the overall >> uncertainty about how AI-generated code fits in computing universe, the >> development team for GnuCash has determined that code contributed to the >> project should contain only code that the human contributor affirms is as >> accurate, error-free, and efficient as they can determine. >> >> Ideally, this code will not include AI-generated code, but if it does, the >> submission MUST: >> 1) State clearly the use of AI-generated code. >> 2) Name the AI tools and specific prompts used. >> 3) Identify the extent of AI-generated code. >> 4) State workflows used to evaluate and process AI-generated code. >> >> Finally, the use of AI-generated code will likely result in additional >> scrutiny of such code to verify its quality, accuracy, and legitimacy and >> may result in outright rejection of such submissions. >> ---------- >> David T. >> >> _______________________________________________ >> gnucash-user mailing list >> [email protected] >> To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: >> https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user >> ----- >> Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. >> You can do this by using Reply-To-List or Reply-All. > _______________________________________________ gnucash-user mailing list [email protected] To update your subscription preferences or to unsubscribe: https://lists.gnucash.org/mailman/listinfo/gnucash-user ----- Please remember to CC this list on all your replies. 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