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Debian debates AI models and the DFSG
The Debian project is discussing a General Resolution (GR) that would, if approved, clarify that AI models must include training data to be compliant with the Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG) and be distributed by Debian as free software. While GR discussions are sometimes contentious, the discussion around the proposal from Debian developer Mo Zhou has been anything but—there seems to be consensus that AI models are not DFSG-compliant if they lack training data. There are, however, some questions about the exact language and questions about the impact the GR will have on existing packages in the Debian archive.
While many folks in the free-software community are generally skeptical about AI and would be happy to see the trend come to an end, Zhou is certainly not in the anti-AI camp. He is a Ph.D. student at Johns Hopkins University, and his academic web site states that his research interest is in computer vision and machine learning. He has created a project called DebGPT that explores using LLMs to aid in Debian development. Clearly, he sees some value in the technology, but also wants to adhere to free-software principles.