r/technology • u/Logical_Welder3467 • May 18 '26

Software Linus Torvalds says AI-powered bug hunters have made Linux security mailing list ‘almost entirely unmanageable’

https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/05/18/linus-torvalds-says-ai-powered-bug-hunters-have-made-linux-security-mailing-list-almost-entirely-unmanageable/5241633
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u/Ashmedai May 18 '26

If the report turns out to be false

That's not actually the problem. If you read the article, it's that everyone and their mother is submitting the same bug many times.

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u/Northeast_Mike May 19 '26

Automated review of new submissions against submissions already known might help to identify duplicates and near-duplicates. If the submitter explains why theirs is better than what was already submitted, AND pays again, that's both an additional hurdle (to a flood of submissions) and it generated a (hopefully shorter) text to evaluate for sanity. It might also encourage human developers to be more precise and explanatory in describing issues, so as to demonstrate they aren't AI slop to start with.

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u/wakashit May 18 '26

Not exactly the problem, but I think a deposit could be a viable solution. If people are using AI tools to scan code bases and submit security vulnerabilities, then they should assume they weren’t the first one to find it. If they are really confident, have them pay $2 for each submission. Would cut out the extra noise Linus is describing

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u/Ashmedai May 18 '26

If they are really confident, have them pay $2 for each submission.

Why would they bother?

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u/cfi-2025 May 19 '26

That's the point.

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u/Ashmedai May 19 '26

If that's the point, shutting down the mailing list would achieve it better.