From 8af79e70f8607ec2fa25b570720d1731162bf9c6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Christopher Willis-Ford <7019101+cwillisf@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2026 09:48:19 -0800 Subject: [PATCH] docs: add guidelines and policy for AI-assisted development --- CONTRIBUTING.AI.md | 72 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CONTRIBUTING.md | 4 +++ 2 files changed, 76 insertions(+) create mode 100644 CONTRIBUTING.AI.md diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.AI.md b/CONTRIBUTING.AI.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..740f171 --- /dev/null +++ b/CONTRIBUTING.AI.md @@ -0,0 +1,72 @@ +# AI-Assisted Development at Scratch + +AI coding assistants and other AI-driven development tools are becoming part of how people write, explore, and learn +code. These tools can support contributors in powerful ways, but only when they are used in ways that center people, +creativity, and community. + +This document describes how we approach AI-assisted development in our open-source repositories: what we aspire to, +and where we draw clear boundaries. This document was inspired, in part, by our more general thoughts about [Creative +AI at Scratch](https://medium.com/scratchteam-blog/introducing-creative-ai-at-scratch-bcdbd6c3efc9). + +--- + +## Guiding Stars + +These "guiding stars" shape our approach to AI-assisted development: + +* **Agency**: Developers remain in control and responsible for their work. +* **Creativity**: AI should support experimentation, focusing on high-level ideas. +* **Human-Centered**: Human insight, context, and collaboration remain essential. +* **Growth**: Use AI to foster learning and understanding, not just for speed. + +We believe these tools are most powerful when they expand a developer's ability to explore, prototype, and learn, +rather than when they simply automate the production of code. Our goal is to empower contributors while ensuring that +human judgment and creativity remain at the center of everything we build. + +By prioritizing agency and human-in-the-loop collaboration, we foster a community where developers don't just ship +code faster, but grow in their understanding and impact. AI should be a partner in curiosity, helping to lower +barriers to entry while strengthening the individual voices and shared ownership that make open source thrive. + +--- + +## Lines in the Sand + +Alongside our aspirations above, we set these "lines in the sand" as boundaries to protect our contributors and +maintain the trust of our global community: + +* **Responsibility**: People are accountable for all code they submit. +* **Transparency**: Contributions must be understandable and clearly explained. +* **Integrity**: No misrepresentation of AI involvement or "black box" changes. +* **Ethics & Safety**: No harmful uses or data leaks; ensure license compliance and compatibility. +* **Dialogue**: AI does not replace peer review or human discussion. + +The most fundamental boundary is that responsibility stays with people: we do not support submitting code that a +contributor does not fully understand or cannot reasonably explain. Open source depends on shared understanding, and +"black box" contributions — regardless of how they were produced — undermine the long-term health of our +repositories. + +Furthermore, AI must never be used to bypass the essential human elements of our work, such as thoughtful peer +review, ethical considerations, and the protection of private data. We value transparency and dialogue over maximal +automation, and we will not accept contributions that misrepresent AI involvement or attempt to end a discussion +with "the tool says so." + +All AI-assisted contributions should include appropriate tests, clear commit messages, and PR descriptions that +explain intent and behavior changes. Maintainers may request more detail or reject unreviewable changes. + +--- + +## An Ongoing Conversation + +AI tools — and how people use them — will continue to change. This document is not the final word, but a shared +starting point. + +We are committed to: + +* Centering developers' agency. +* Supporting creativity and learning. +* Engaging openly with our community as tools and practices evolve. + +--- + +_Several humans contributed to the creation of this document, with some assistance from AI tools. Humans reviewed, +edited, and take ongoing responsibility for its content._ diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md index 371f255..e16078d 100644 --- a/CONTRIBUTING.md +++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md @@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ source communities help us along the way. load for a release * We are just short on time (it's usually this one - sorry!) +## AI-Assisted Development + +See [CONTRIBUTING.AI.md](CONTRIBUTING.AI.md) for our policy and guidelines regarding AI-assisted development. + ## Learning Git and Github If you want to work on fixing issues, you should be familiar with Git and Github.