KDE's LLM usage guidelines proposer asks people not to "burn each other to the ground" over discussing the new technology

Published Sep 24, 2026, 12:57 PM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary KDE's draft LLM guidelines were locked a few days ago after things got a little heated. Non-contributors inflamed the debate, leading to bans and a petition mostly signed by outsiders. KDE must adapt to LLMs, with its guidelines proposer asking people not to fight in discussions. LLM usage in open-source projects is a heated topic right now. Both sides have their points, and both sides are just as eager to debate them on internet forums. Recently, KDE made news after a thread proposing LLM guidelines was locked after quite a bit of drama. Now, the person behind the guidelines has made a new post explaining what happened and how things should go moving forward Please don't fight each other during AI usage discussions, says Nate Graham KDE is trying its best to navigate a new world of tech In a Planet KDE post, developer Nate Graham explained what's happening with the discussion about KDE's LLM. A few days ago, Graham posted a first draft of LLM usage guidelines for feedback. While the discussion started perfectly civil, it got a little heated toward the end. At the time, we called it a "fiery community clash," but Graham explains it was more nuanced. The discussion began among known KDE developers; it was civil and controlled. However, two people "unknown to any KDE contributors" began to bring up the ethics of LLM usage, and one "exposed the other person’s odious Twitter posts", causing both to be banned. To sum it up, Graham said that "A bunch of people mostly outside of KDE who disapprove of LLM usage derailed KDE’s attempt to add restrictions to LLM usage." Graham also points to KDE for People, the sub-community set up to pressure KDE into dropping LLM usage. Graham notes that while the petition garnered a decent number of signatures, "almost none of whom are known KDE contributors," with Graham only recognising one of the signers. Graham then notes that, while he understands that LLMs are not perfect and that he himself is concerned about the effect of AI as a whole, navigating a world with this new technology is like if "100 billion toaster-sized nuclear reactors dropped from the sky one day," and that KDE has no choice but to adapt. To round things off, Graham asks the following: Please don’t derail the process. Please don’t take it as an opportunity to fight over the broader topic of AI in general. Please don’t try to burn each other to the ground over it. Please don’t actually doxx or send hate mail to anyone over it, or try to get them fired from their job. Please, just be kind. With Graham's post, we now have a clearer picture of where this schism is happening. Instead of being between KDE's developers, it seems to be more between the people making KDE and its users who disapprove of AI usage. Navigating this gap is going to be tricky, and it'll be interesting to see whether KDE bends to anti-AI users' demands or places its developers' opinions first. As of right now, it seems to be taking the latter route.