Linus Torvalds Says AI Has Made Massive Linux Kernel Updates the New Normal

Linux chief and kernel lead developer Linus Torvalds recently stated that the advent of artificial intelligence has turned large‑scale kernel updates into the "new normal".

He notes that he publishes weekly kernel update status reports, and the latest mailing‑list announcement began with his observation, "this rc is very huge." He described RC6 as the biggest release in years by commit count.

"Even by the new‑normal standard, this is a very large rc6, and I think, at least by the number of commits, it is the biggest rc6 we have had for many years," he wrote on August 2.

Torvalds expressed mixed feelings: while the sheer size worries him, he also highlighted that many of the fixes were reviewed and applied using various AI tools.

His relationship with AI is complex. He previously argued against the notion that good documentation could explain developers contributing low‑quality AI‑generated code, and he complained that a flood of duplicate AI‑generated bug reports has nearly overwhelmed the kernel security mailing list.

Nevertheless, Torvalds affirmed that "Linux is not an anti‑AI project," indicating a generally welcoming stance toward machine contributions.

He identified three relatively large changes in RC6: a fix for s390/zcrypt, a regression in the btrfs infrastructure, and several netfilter ipset fixes. The remainder consists of numerous small patches affecting drivers (GPU, sound, network cards, etc.), filesystems, core networking, and architecture code.

Despite the extensive changes, Torvalds sees no justification for delaying the Linux 7.2 release, stating, "Unless something goes terribly wrong, I expect the release next weekend." The upcoming 7.2 kernel, while not a long‑term‑support version, includes notable improvements such as enhanced GPU and CPU scheduling.