The moderators of r/opensource have posted new submission rules that ban projects using AI, effectively bar non-English speakers and shut out new solo developers. The announcement went live on Saturday evening and immediately triggered a revolt in the comments.
The rule post states that if a project uses AI, is made by AI, or is intended for AI, it is not welcome on the subreddit, adding that AI as it exists today is incongruent with the open-source community. The backlash has already produced a rival community, r/trueopensource.
What r/opensource's new rules ban
According to The Verge, the AI ban is only part of the new restrictions. Submitted projects must now be at least one year old, actively maintained and have multiple contributors.
The moderators also say they can no longer field requests asking for maintainers or people to contribute. That effectively blocks solo developers with brand-new projects from finding help through the subreddit.
On language, the post tells non-English speakers to find a different community. The mods argue they cannot distinguish between AI-written and AI-translated text, and that a member who does not speak English cannot verify whether a translation is correct.
- Projects that use, are made by, or are intended for AI are banned
- Projects must be at least one year old and actively maintained
- Projects need multiple contributors, not a single developer
- Requests for maintainers or contributors are no longer accepted
