"Human Emacs": Proposal for an Emacs Fork Without LLM Contributions (lists.gnu.org)

A group of Emacs developers has proposed creating a fork called "Human Emacs," aimed at maintaining the integrity of the project by avoiding contributions from large language models (LLMs). Their concerns highlight potential harms to trust and community solidarity if LLM-generated code is allowed, emphasizing that the essence of free software transcends mere code—it embodies a collective ethos among users. This proposal comes as some projects begin to relax restrictions on LLM contributions, which the Human Emacs advocates view as a risk to the foundational principles of the Emacs community. The significance of this movement lies in its pushback against the growing influence of LLMs in open-source software, highlighting the need for ethical considerations beyond legal compliance. The developers express a keen interest in preserving the original spirit of Emacs through a commitment to a comprehensive ban on LLM contributions. They invite others who share these concerns to join their initiative, emphasizing that decisions made surrounding LLM contributions will have lasting impacts on software communities. The creation of Human Emacs represents not just a technical divergence, but also a commitment to maintaining the core values that define the collaborative nature of free software.