FreeBSD Project isn't ready to let AI commit code just yet

The latest status report from the FreeBSD Project says no thanks to code generated by LLM-based assistants.

The FreeBSD Project's Status Report for the second quarter of 2025 contains updates from various sub-teams that are working on improving the FreeBSD OS, including separate sub-projects such as enabling FreeBSD apps to run on Linux, Chinese translation efforts, support for Solaris-style Extended Attributes, and for Apple's legacy HFS+ file system.

The thing that stood out to us, though, was that the core team is working on what it terms a "Policy on generative AI created code and documentation." The relevant paragraph says:

In other words, there is no formal policy yet, but the team is working on one and will add it to the Contributors Guide documentation repository.

We suspect that some readers may feel like it's a little late, but if you'll forgive us for reminding you, the current generative AI boom is not yet three years old. At the start of December 2022, The Register mentioned the launch of ChatGPT, calling it another AI to fill the world with kinda-true stuff. The boom really got going in 2023.

Historically, the BSDs are relatively slow-moving projects compared to the rolling corporate-sponsored frenzy of Linux development. FreeBSD 14.0 only appeared about a year after ChatGPT. FreeBSD 15.0 is scheduled for later this year.

This move looks to align with the NetBSD guidelines – FreeBSD's roughly six-month-older sibling – and also those of Gentoo Linux, as we reported in May 2024. At the time, we went into some depth about the problems and issues around LLM assistants.

Our current position on this can be represented by the phrase "memento mori" – "remember, you will die too." AI winter is coming.

There's lots of other good news in the status report, although none of it headline. Support for faster Wi-Fi standards is coming. So is improved graphics, sound, and power management support.

• GhostBSD 25.02 adds 'Gershwin' desktop for a Mac-like twist
• FreeBSD 15 installer to offer minimal KDE desktop
• From PlayStation to routers, you've probably been using FreeBSD without knowing it
• FreeBSD 14.2 wants to woo Docker fans, but still struggles with Wi-Fi

The pkgbase effort is continuing. Until now, the FreeBSD base system was installed in the form of several package sets using a tool called bsdinstall, and subsequently updated using the freebsd-update command. Additional software is handled in discrete packages, in a way familiar to most Linux folks, but they're layered on top and installed and updated with the separate pkg command. Now an effort is underway to restructure the bulk of the OS into packages that can be handled by pkg. This is causing consternation to some people used to the old way – for instance, this anguished message from well-known FreeBSD blogger (and occasional Reg commenter) Vermaden.

Other projects mentioned in the report include Solaris-style extended file system attributes, support for Apple's HFS+ file system, a Proxmox-style web-based GUI for Bhyve virtualization called Sylve, and BSD-USER 4 LINUX, a tool that lets Linux users run FreeBSD binaries via QEMU, without needing root permissions. The geomman effort aims to bring a GParted-style dynamic disk management GUI to FreeBSD. Other ongoing efforts involve community outreach in China, including improving the Chinese FreeBSD documentation – which we note includes a translation of the classic UNIX-HATERS Handbook [PDF], which The Reg FOSS desk highly recommends reading.

The sentence "Netcraft confirms it: BSD is dying" is one of the longest-standing jokes in the BSD world. It was already old in 2011 when @jedisct1 tweeted it and we suspect it's about as old as the 31-year-old Netcraft itself. (The gag back then being that FreeBSD had just topped Netcraft's reliability chart.) It wasn't then and it isn't now. If you are sick of systemd, it's more worthy of a look than ever. ®