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- Fedora criticized over AI Developer Desktop Objective and "alienate[ing] users"
- Project Lead declares "zero evidence" that users are being driven away by AI
- Like Fedora, Ubuntu is also set to get local AI superpowers
The AI Developer Desktop Objective for Fedora has become a controversial one within the Linux community, attracting criticism from users and contributors alike.
In a discussion in the Fedora Project thread, the Linux distro is confirmed to be getting an AI overhaul in upcoming iterations that would see it become capable of running AI models locally instead of having to rely on cloud-based alternatives.
"I fear that making anything “AI” in its title an official Objective would further alienate users and contributors... and further damage project reputation," Fabio Valentini of the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee wrote.
Fedora and Ubuntu are going all-in on AI
Responding to Valentini's comments, Fedora Project Leader Jef Spaleta declared: "I have zero evidence in front of me that users are being driven away from Fedora because of AI."
"We have to take care in how we as a project uses AI," Spaleta added.
Fedora isn't the only distro preparing to add built-in support for running local GenAI models directly on users' computers, with Ubuntu also making similar moves. Fedora also previously approved AI-assisted contributions to the project.
Ubuntu parent company Canonical also noted the need for caution and transparency with regard to the use of AI within the open-source project. As for Ubuntu, its AI features will likely prioritize local inference over cloud processing with lightweight and open-source models.
Canonical has also been faced with mixed reactions, though one user praised the ability to run AI locally without the need for large, costly and unsustainable data centers.
"The best possible [future] I can see involves the Fedora community being part of the conversation around ethical use of this technology," Spaleta concluded in a later comment, referring to the fact that AI is unlikely to go anywhere even if such a 'bubble' were to burst.
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