r/opensource bans AI projects and non-English speakers

The moderators of r/opensource announced new submission rules over the weekend that ban projects using AI, made by AI, or intended for AI. The announcement states that AI as it exists today is incongruent with the Open Source community. Moderator Wolvereness explained that if a project uses AI, is made by AI, or is intended for AI, it is not welcome on the subreddit. The new rules also require submitted projects to be at least one year old, actively maintained, and have multiple contributors. To get a project featured, developers must show it has been actively maintained for at least a year, has an established community, and has at least three contributors. Student projects such as note-taking apps and PDF viewers are not welcome on the subreddit. Developers can no longer use the subreddit to find people willing to help maintain their software. The moderators stated they can no longer field requests asking for maintainers or people to contribute. A minimum Reddit account age of one year is required, and significant prior contributions are needed. Anyone who attempts to post and then contacts moderators seeking an exception risks being permanently banned and muted.

The new rules effectively ban non-English-speaking members of the community. The announcement states that if you don't speak English, you need to find a different community. Moderators say they cannot distinguish AI-written content from AI-translated text and that non-English speakers cannot verify translation accuracy. Moderator Wolvereness explained that there is nuance and room for selective enforcement, such as software with incidental accessibility features using AI. Fellow moderator ssddanbrown publicly objected to the changes, stating they hadn't been consulted about them. The new rules sparked a revolt in the comments and led to the creation of a rival subreddit called r/trueopensource. The crackdown was announced over the weekend by Reddit's r/opensource community. The moderators claim they cannot distinguish between AI-written and AI-translated text. The new rules bar solo developers with new projects from looking for help on the subreddit. The announcement states that if you don't speak English, you need to find a different community. Moderators say they cannot distinguish AI-written content from AI-translated text and that non-English speakers cannot verify translation accuracy. The new rules require submitted projects to be at least one year old, actively maintained, and have multiple contributors. The new rules bar solo developers with new projects from looking for help on the subreddit. The moderators stated they can no longer field requests asking for maintainers or people to contribute. The new rules effectively ban non-English-speaking members of the community. The announcement states that if you don't speak English, you need to find a different community. Moderators say they cannot distinguish AI-written content from AI-translated text and that non-English speakers cannot verify translation accuracy. The new rules sparked a revolt in the comments and led to the creation of a rival subreddit called r/trueopensource. The crackdown was announced over the weekend by Reddit's r/opensource community. Moderator Wolvereness explained that there is nuance and room for selective enforcement, such as software with incidental accessibility features using AI. Fellow moderator ssddanbrown publicly objected to the changes, stating they hadn't been consulted about them. The new rules require submitted projects to be at least one year old, actively maintained, and have multiple contributors. The new rules bar solo developers with new projects from looking for help on the subreddit. The moderators stated they can no longer field requests asking for maintainers or people to contribute. The new rules effectively ban non-English-speaking members of the community. The announcement states that if you don't speak English, you need to find a different community. Moderators say they cannot distinguish AI-written content from AI-translated text and that non-English speakers cannot verify translation accuracy. The new rules sparked a revolt in the comments and led to the creation of a rival subreddit called r/trueopensource. The crackdown was announced over the weekend by Reddit's r/opensource community. Moderator Wolvereness explained that there is nuance and room for selective enforcement, such as software with incidental accessibility features using AI. Fellow moderator ssddanbrown publicly objected to the changes, stating they hadn't been consulted about them.