Linux chief Torvalds says AI-found fixes swelled the next kernel release to nearly 20,000 changes
Linus Torvalds released the first test version of Linux 7.4 on Nov. 1 and said he prefers AI-driven fixes arrive early rather than late in the cycle.
The next version of Linux, the free operating system that runs most of the world's servers and Android phones, is unusually large partly because of fixes for problems found by AI tools, Linux creator Linus Torvalds wrote Nov. 1 as he released the first test version, Linux 7.4-rc1.
The core of Linux, called the kernel, gets a new version about every nine or 10 weeks. Each cycle starts with a two-week "merge window" when developers submit new code, followed by weekly test releases, called release candidates, or "rc," that should contain only fixes.
This merge window brought almost 20,000 changes, compared with about 15,000 usually, Torvalds wrote. He gave several reasons: 7.4 is expected to be a long-term support version that companies rely on for years, and about a third of the new code is technical description files for AMD graphics chips.
He also wrote that the changes are full of fixes for issues found by AI, and that more and more fixes are suggested by AI too, though people often rewrite them.
I'm actually much happier with the flood of AI triggered work going into the merge window.
Torvalds said that is healthier than having AI-found bugs pour in as late fixes during testing. For users, more bugs caught before release can mean fewer security problems in devices and services.
Source: Linus Torvalds, "Linux 7.4-rc1," Linux kernel mailing list, Nov. 1, 2026