Linus Torvalds sees early signs the AI-driven flood of kernel bug fixes may be peaking
Releasing Linux 7.4-rc2, which he called big partly because of 'various AI fixes', Torvalds said the bpf maintainers now fix bugs faster than new reports arrive, but most areas are not there yet.
Why it matters
Since Anthropic launched its Mythos bug-finding model in April, AI tools have been surfacing software flaws faster than maintainers and IT teams can patch them. Microsoft fixed a record 974 flaws in September and Oracle 1,449 in a single month, The Register reports. In his weekly kernel post, Torvalds said Linux 7.4-rc1 was already the largest such release ever and rc2 is big because of 'various AI fixes'. He relayed that bpf lead Alexei Starovoitov says fixes now outpace new reports there, calling it a sign 'the tide' may be turning, but told readers not to hold their breath.
Key facts
- Linux 7.4-rc2 is big partly due to 'various AI fixes'
- 7.4-rc1 was the largest such release in kernel history
- On bpf, fixes now arrive faster than new reports
- Torvalds: most other areas have not reached that point
- Microsoft fixed a record 974 flaws in September
- Oracle fixed 1,449 flaws in a single month