How AI Has Suddenly Become Much More Useful To Open-Source Developers
ZDNET, Tuesday, March 31st, 2026
More open-source developers are finding that, when used properly, AI can actually help current and long-neglected programs. However, legal and quality issues loom.
ZDNET's key takeaways
- Top open-source maintainers find that AI has suddenly become much more useful.
- There are still legal and 'AI slop' problems to overcome.
- By year's end, AI programming tools should be much more reliable.
With open-source software running pretty much everything, you might think that multiple developers maintain most of the important programs with help from corporate sponsors. You'd be wrong.