On 07/26/2026 8:35 PM CEST Tom Ellis via ghc-devs <ghc-devs@haskell.org> wrote:
On Sun, Jul 26, 2026 at 09:12:19AM +0000, Jaro Reinders via ghc-devs wrote:
We all seem to recognize that interacting with LLM generated code or documentation makes a significant number of contributors uncomfortable.
A very interesting claim. Whatever could it possibly mean?
Do you mean those contributors are uncomfortable with some intrinsic property of the code (or documentation) that LLMs tend to generate? Or merely by its provenenance, i.e. an extrinsic property?
If the former, can such users reliably distinguish LLM-generated code? Can theydistinguish LLM-generated code that has been highly human edited, or even entirely rewritten? If a human can generate code with an LLM and then edit it sufficiently carefully that it's indistinguishable from code that had no LLM involvement, would those contributors be comfortable with such code?
I'll tell you that my interaction on this list with discussion that was LLM-generated (even with full responsibility taken, hand-selection, etc.) has affected my already dim view negatively. In principle we can say "you must stand behind every line." Standing behind every line does not mean that the whole process has not been made worse and unwelcoming. The ability to generate HTML tables summarizing one's point without considering the other fellow's point is not an unvarnished good. I think your argument -- well, sometimes it's as good or better -- is eminently reasonable. Yet in aggregate, expressing only a "recommendation" for hand-written code/docs/discussion will have very obvious negative effects. It already has. This is precisely why I advocate the policy being preference-based instead of a ban or full permissiveness.
If the latter, does it mean that those contributors are simply uncomfortable with the *knowledge* that some code was LLM-generated, even if they can't independently tell it was LLM-generated? Perhaps it's a bit like knowing that some code was written by someone who only wrote it to benefit their employer in the military-industrial complex, oil industry or block chain industry, any of which some people might find uncomfortable.
Or maybe both apply? Could you please elaborate on the nature and origin of this discomfort because at the moment I don't understand it.
I think for many people it's both, but speaking for myself primarily the former. Cheers, Tom