AI (i.e. ML with better compute) is here to stay - there’s no denying that. But AI's capacity to provide genuine contributions is debatable - especially for open source projects. Projects are seeing a flood of AI-generated issues and pull requests, yet they lack the crucial human elements of context, intent, and accountability that open source thrives on. This isn't just a minor annoyance; it poses a direct threat to the sustainability of beloved projects and the maintainers who tirelessly support them.

The time to address AI in your CONTRIBUTING.md file is now. But what does that look like? How do we establish clear ground rules for AI-driven contributions (because not all are bad)? How do we define what a “meaningful contribution” is in today’s landscape, and how do we enforce the guidelines? This talk will put forward some thoughts and ideas for what a playbook might look like for your specific project, and some guidelines which can help ensure we embrace these new tools, while still keeping the spirit of open source intact.