Linus Torvalds slams AI as ‘90% marketing and 10% reality’

6 days ago 6

Linux creator Linus Torvalds has called AI little more than a marketing ploy.

In a recent interview with TFiR at the Open Source Summit in Vienna, Torvalds acknowledged artificial intelligence is “really interesting” and that it’s “going to change the world,” however he added the initial hype doesn’t yet justify its usefulness.

Torvalds reportedly grimaced as labelled the current state of the AI market as “90% marketing and 10% reality.”

Linus Torvalds isn’t a fan of AI… yet

For now, Torvalds’ solution is to ignore artificial intelligence until the technology becomes powerful and personalized enough to matter.

“I think AI is really interesting, and I think it is going to change the world," he noted, "and, at the same time, I hate the hype cycle so much that I really don’t want to go there."

"So 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," Torvalds added, "however, it seems like there is almost too much AI BS around for the Fin to tolerate."

The developer’s thoughts mirror those of other tech professionals worldwide – it seems that every day a new report is published showing how companies are struggling to deploy meaningful AI tools for a variety of reasons, including poor infrastructure and a lack of readiness on the parts of both workers and leaders.

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For now, Torvalds said he recognized the usefulness of some tools, like ChatGPT, in specific use cases, but reiterated that AI’s broader applications remain limited. However, he left room for optimism, suggesting that in five years’ time, AI might mature to support meaningful, everyday applications.

Torvalds’ comments follow recent remarks by Baidu’s CEO, who predicts that the AI bubble might soon burst, leaving only a small percentage of companies in a position to benefit from the remaining interest.

The Linux maker advises tech workers to avoid being swayed by industry trends that feel like bandwagons, instead focusing on meaningful innovations that can actually deliver.

Despite the current hype around artificial intelligence, Torvalds says that he remains focused on his passion for low-level systems development: “I’ve always been interested in the area between hardware and software.”

Via TomsHardware