Most current AI tech is 90 percent marketing, says Linus Torvalds

Oct 31, 2024

Linus Torvalds critiques modern AI as mostly marketing, compares it to open-source development.

Most current AI tech is 90 percent marketing, says Linus Torvalds

: Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux, claims that current AI technology is 90% marketing and only 10% reality at the Open Source Summit in Vienna. He predicts AI will genuinely transform industries in five years, though he is currently skeptical of its hype. Torvalds also noted the shift of open-source development towards corporate-driven initiatives and expressed preference for C over Rust programming language.

Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, voiced his skepticism about the state of current AI technology, asserting it's 90% marketing and only 10% real progress. In his view, AI and machine learning are over-hyped, causing inflated market valuations, particularly for companies like Nvidia.

He shared these thoughts at the Open Source Summit in Vienna, adding that generative AI services will eventually become significant. However, Torvalds predicts this transformation and clarity in practical AI applications will only manifest in the next five years.

Torvalds also discussed the changes in open-source software development, now primarily driven by large corporations rather than individual developers. He stated his preference for the C programming language despite the security benefits Rust offers, in his conversation about computer security and faulty hardware.