Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux operating system, recently shared his thoughts on the current state of artificial intelligence (AI) at the Open Source Summit in Vienna. Torvalds did not mince words, stating that AI is currently “90% marketing and 10% reality.”
While Torvalds acknowledged that AI is an interesting technology that will eventually change the world, he expressed his distaste for the hype surrounding it. I think AI is really interesting, and I think it is going to change the world,” he said.
“At the same time, I hate the hype cycle so much that I really don’t want to go there.”
Torvalds’ approach to AI for now is to ignore it, as he believes the tech industry around AI is in a bad position. My approach to AI right now is I will basically ignore it because I think the whole tech industry around AI is in a very bad position,” he stated. “However, it seems like there is almost too much AI BS around for me to tolerate.”
Torvalds’ comments reflect the sentiments of many other tech professionals who believe that companies are struggling to deploy meaningful AI solutions due to poor infrastructure and a lack of readiness on the part of both workers and leaders.
Torvalds dismisses AI industry’s hype
While some AI tools have proven useful in specific use cases, the broader applications of the technology remain limited. Despite his criticism, Torvalds did express some optimism about the future of AI.
He suggested that in five years, the technology might mature enough to support meaningful, everyday applications. Torvalds’ remarks come on the heels of similar comments made by Baidu’s CEO, who predicted that the AI bubble might soon burst, leaving only a small percentage of companies in a position to benefit from the remaining interest. For now, Torvalds advises tech workers to avoid being swayed by industry trends and bandwagons and instead focus on meaningful innovations that can actually deliver.
Despite the current AI hype, Torvalds remains committed to his passion for low-level systems development, stating, “I’ve always been interested in the area between hardware and software.”
