Pop!_OS Says No to AI-Written Code and Bug Reports
The project's contribution guidelines explicitly bar AI-generated code and explanations. Proposals to change COSMIC code now come with an item where authors must confirm that their submission contains no AI-generated content.
Pop!_OS, the operating system built by System76, has added a firm line to its contribution guidelines: do not submit AI-generated work. The ban covers more than code written by AI language models. It extends to comments and written explanations as well. It applies when you file an issue reporting a bug or suggesting an improvement, and when you open a pull request (PR) proposing code changes.
Not just the code, the explanations too
Contributors are expected to check the prose they submit alongside their code. Even if a human wrote the code by hand, handing the explanation off to an AI falls under the ban. The PR template in the COSMIC repository asks contributors to confirm that their submission contains no AI-generated content. PRs with the required checkbox left unchecked will be closed, the template warns.
Anyone opening a PR is also asked whether they understand the changes and whether they tested them. Authors must fully understand what they changed and be able to respond to feedback raised during review. PRs touching Pop!_OS components go through approval from both the engineering team and the quality assurance team. Contributors check their work before submitting it, and the engineering and quality assurance teams review the PR afterward.
Has the project restricted AI contributions before?
This is not the first move against AI-written contributions. In a public discussion in August 2026, a System76 representative explained that the project already had a policy on AI-related PRs at the time. The representative also said that PRs with substantial portions written by AI language models were already being rejected in many cases. Now the contribution guidelines prohibit AI-generated submissions, and the PR template requires authors to confirm that their submissions comply.
The accuracy of bug reports has also been flagged as a problem. In a separate public issue, a System76 representative said that bug reports written by AI language models are hard to trust and that there is no time to review them. In other words, on top of poring over AI-generated code, verifying whether a report describing a problem is even correct is an added burden.
What changes for users in Korea
If you simply use Pop!_OS and happen to use AI tools, this policy does not concern you. It applies to contributions submitted to the project. Users in Korea who want to report a bug or propose a code change need to review the code and the explanation themselves before submitting. Filing a bug report or a change description written by an AI, as-is, violates the contribution guidelines.
Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS moved from the previous GNOME-based environment to the COSMIC desktop environment. A desktop environment refers to the screen layout and features through which users handle windows and apps. COSMIC is built in the Rust language. The operating system is free to download and install on compatible computers, and it is available in Korea as well.
The new rules make it clear what people hoping to contribute to Pop!_OS can submit. Submitters must understand and test their changes, and also confirm that no AI-generated content is mixed in. Neowin reported that the cosmic-flatpak repository is an exception.