Jakub T. Jankiewicz · 2026-11-13 · notable
Jakub T. Jankiewicz — all AI-generated code should be open source
In short
Jakub T. Jankiewicz argues that all AI-generated code should be open source. Models learned from open code and Stack Overflow, he says, so closing their output is "license laundering", and purely AI-written code may not be copyrightable.
Jakub T. Jankiewicz · 2026-11-13 · 2 sources checked
A developer argues that code written by AI belongs to everyone, because AI learned it from everyone.
What is it?
Jakub T. Jankiewicz's essay 'All AI-generated code should be Open Source' argues that developers and companies should release AI-written code under open source licenses, or dedicate it to the public domain with CC0. The post reached 537 points on Hacker News within hours.
How does it work?
The argument has two parts. First, models were trained on open source code and Stack Overflow answers, so turning that shared knowledge into closed code "feels like license laundering". Second, purely AI-generated code has no human author, so Jankiewicz says it should not be copyrightable, pointing to the Monkey Selfie case and Wikimedia Commons' policy.
Why does it matter?
Copyright rules for AI output differ by country, and Jankiewicz sees open licensing as a simple way to make them consistent. He argues the case is strongest for code that a human barely reviewed or changed, which is a growing share of what coding agents produce.
Who is it for?
developers and companies shipping AI-written code