The Fedora Council, a top-level community leadership and governance body responsible for stewardship of the Fedora Project as a whole, has officially approved a new policy allowing AI-assisted contributions to Fedora projects.
The decision, which follows months of community discussion, sets clear boundaries on how tools like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot can be used while ensuring human accountability remains central to the process.
Under the new rules, contributors are free to use AI tools to generate or assist with code, documentation, or other project materials — but only if the person submitting the work remains its true author.
Moreover, the Council emphasizes that all contributors must take full responsibility for the accuracy, safety, and licensing of their submissions, regardless of the extent of an AI tool’s involvement.
In practical terms, that means the person contributing remains the author and must ensure the work is accurate, safe, and legally compliant. AI can assist, but it can’t take the blame — or the credit.
To promote transparency, the policy encourages developers to disclose when AI played a significant role in their work. Fedora suggests using a commit trailer such as “Assisted-by: <AI tool name>” to make that clear in project history. The idea is not to restrict innovation, but to ensure everyone understands where the content came from and who ultimately stands behind it.
The policy also covers reviewers and maintainers. They’re allowed to use AI tools to assist with their review work, but the final decision on whether a contribution is accepted must always be made by a human. In other words, AI can help — it just can’t decide.
Additionally, for Fedora products or features that integrate AI directly, user consent remains mandatory. Any AI-powered functionality must be opt-in rather than automatically enabled, ensuring Fedora continues to respect user control and privacy.
Lastly, the Council describes this policy as a “living document,” meaning it may evolve as AI technologies advance and their impact on open-source workflows becomes clearer. For full details, see the Fedora Discussion post and the Council ticket.
