Linux Foundation Survey Finds AI Cuts Coding Time but Adds Low Quality Pull Requests

A new study from the Linux Foundation finds generative AI can reduce code authoring time by 52%, while maintainers estimate that 25% of incoming pull requests are low quality AI output. The organization detailed the findings in a press release published on October 20.

Among maintainers, 59% reported an increase in open source contributions since generative AI became widely used. That figure rose to 69% for large projects, where maintainers estimated that 31% of incoming pull requests were low quality.

The study found that generative AI reduced the time required across all six measured development activities, including 19% for proposal discussions and 52% for code authoring. However, 21% of respondents said AI increased the time needed for complex tasks.

Only 35% of projects had a formal policy permitting generative AI use, while 32% had no policy and no plans to create one. Among contributors, 61% said they conduct detailed reviews and full functional testing of AI generated code before submitting it.