Linus Torvalds, software engineer: “Using AI for this could be a terrible idea”

Artificial intelligence is already woven into our daily lives—especially for those who work with computers, the internet, or programming. But despite its extraordinary potential, legendary software engineer Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux and Git, believes leaning too heavily on AI is dangerous. In his words, it’s a “horrible idea” to use AI for serious, long-term projects because of how difficult it can be to maintain the code.

Torvalds’ warning at the Open Source Summit

Speaking at the Open Source Summit in Seoul in November 2025, Torvalds shared his perspective on the AI boom. “AI can be fine as a learning tool,” he said, “but it can be a horrible idea to use it for real, serious projects that need to be maintained over time.”

For Torvalds, the issue isn’t that AI inherently produces bad code. The real problem is maintainability and readability. Without a human developer behind the reasoning process, it can be extremely difficult—and potentially a waste of time and resources—to understand what each line of AI‑generated code does and how the solution was reached.

A tool, not a magic button

Torvalds isn’t completely opposed to AI in programming. He sees value in using it for small personal projects, student learning, or “vibe coding” experiments. But he cautions against treating AI as a “magic button” that can be trusted 100% when building real-world software.

His stance echoes other critical voices in the developer community who warn against overreliance on tools like ChatGPT for coding. Ultimately, Torvalds insists the final judgment must come from the programmer, since that process helps developers sharpen their reasoning, synthesis, and problem-solving skills.

He compared blind reliance on AI to riding in a self-driving car and refusing to grab the wheel when a pothole suddenly appears—trusting the system to handle it, even when common sense says otherwise.

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