[Docutils-develop] [docutils:patches] #217 AI policy

[Günter M. <mi...@us...>]

---

**[patches:#217] AI policy**

**Status:** open
**Group:** None
**Created:** Sat Sep 26, 2026 10:51 AM UTC by Günter Milde
**Last Updated:** Sat Sep 26, 2026 10:51 AM UTC
**Owner:** nobody


I suggest to add the following paragraph about copyright responsibilities and section about use of AI for contributions to Docutils to the "Docutils Project Policies":
~~~ diff
--- a/docutils/docs/dev/policies.rst
+++ b/docutils/docs/dev/policies.rst
@@ -153,6 +153,11 @@ the project for inclusion (via Subversion, SourceForge trackers,
 mailing lists, or private email) are assumed to be in the public
 domain as well.
 
+Contributors must ensure their contribution does not infringe on the
+copyright of others and reference the copyright holder and license of
+code parts under a compatible open-source license.  We reserve the right
+to reject any contributions where the copyright is in question.
+
 Any new files contributed to the project should clearly state their
 intentions regarding copyright, in one of the following ways:
 
@@ -177,6 +182,58 @@ intentions regarding copyright, in one of the following ways:
 __ ../../licenses/BSD-2-Clause.rst
 
 
+AI Policy
+=========
+
+All contributors must disclose whether AI [#ai]_ has been used to assist in
+the development of their contributions.  If so, they must document which
+tool(s) have been used, how they were used, and specify what code or text
+is AI generated.
+We will reject contributions without accompanying AI disclosure.
+
+The use of an AI agent that writes code and then submits a patch
+autonomously is not permitted.  A human must check any generated code and
+submit the patch.  Please do not waste developers' time by submitting
+code that is fully or mostly generated by AI and doesn't meet our
+standards.
+
+Contributors are responsible for any code they submit for inclusion
+in Docutils, regardless of whether it was manually written or generated
+by AI. They must understand and be able to explain the submitted code as
+well as the existing related code.  It is not acceptable to submit a patch
+that is not understood or cannot be explained by the submitter.
+When documenting the contribution, do not use AI to automatically generate
+comments or issue descriptions or update the user documentation.
+
+.. sidebar:: Further Reading
+
+  - `Sphinx AI policy
+    <https://www.sphinx-doc.org/en/master/internals/ai-policy.html>`_
+  - `LLVM AI tool policy <https://llvm.org/docs/AIToolPolicy.html>`_
+  - `Open source AI contribution policies
+    <https://github.com/melissawm/open-source-ai-contribution-policies>`_
+  - `Scientific Python community considerations around AI
+    <https://blog.scientific-python.org/scientific-python/
+    community-considerations-around-ai/>`_
+  - `Python developer's guide to AI tools
+    <https://devguide.python.org/getting-started/ai-tools/index.html>`_
+
+When interacting with the maintainers (forums, discussions, issues, etc.)
+do not use AI to speak for you, except for translation or grammar
+editing. If the developers want to chat with a chatbot, they can do so
+themselves. Human-to-human communication is essential for an open source
+community to thrive.
+
+We thank the SymPy developers, whose `AI Generated Code and Communication
+Policy`__ this section was adapted from.
+
+.. [#ai] "AI" herein refers to generative AI tools like large language
+   models (LLMs) that can generate, edit, and review software code,
+   images, or texts.
+
+__ https://docs.sympy.org/dev/contributing/ai-generated-code-policy.html
+
+
 .. _Subversion Repository:
 
 Repository
~~~


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