Source:
The RegisterUse it to debug and review, says Big Red, but don't submit its output
Oracle has told contributors to OpenJDK – the open source Java project it stewards – not to submit code or other material generated by AI. In a post tagged "legal," Oracle said it was drafting a full policy on
generative AIbut had set interim ground rules. It cited risks involving review workloads, safety, security, and intellectual property. "Contributions in the OpenJDK Community must not include content generated, in part or in full, by large language models, diffusion models, or similar deep-learning systems. Content, in this context, includes but is not limited to source code, text, and images in OpenJDK Git repositories, GitHub pull requests, e-mail messages, wiki pages, and Java Bug System issues," the post said. Big Red said developers could still useLLM-based tools privately to "help comprehend, debug, and review OpenJDK code and other content, and to do research related to OpenJDK Projects," provided they did not contribute material generated by those tools. The post elaborated on the potential burden for reviewers and the safety, security, and intellectual property concerns surrounding AI-generated contributions. Oracle noted that OpenJDK is the primary Java implementation for many organizations and underpins mission-critical systems worldwide. "Safety and security are paramount. Plausible-looking but incorrect code would put these critical properties at risk," the vendor said. The caution contrasts with Oracle's enthusiasm for AI-generated code inside its own walls. "The code that Oracle is writing, Oracle isn't writing," co-founder and CTO Larry Ellison told Oracle AI World 2025. "Our AI models are writing. We just tell the model what we want the program to do, and then the AI comes up with a step-by-step process to actually do it. We don't write the procedure. We declare our intent, but the model writes the step-by-step procedure; that thing we commonly think of as a computer program." Earlier this year, co-CEO Mike Sicilia said: "AI tools and their coding capabilities would be a threat if we weren't adopting them, but we are and very rapidly. The use of AI coding tools inside Oracle is enabling smaller engineering teams to deliver more complete solutions to our customers more quickly." AI also featured in Oracle's explanation for cutting 21,000 jobs in June. "Deployment of AI technologies across our operations have resulted, and may continue to result, in reductions to our workforce," it said in a statement. Oracle also claims that agents embedded in its applications can reason, make business decisions, and act on behalf of users. Why AI-generated code is suitable for Oracle's products but not for OpenJDK contributions is therefore puzzling to The Register. Presumably Oracle has found some cast-iron method of making its internal AI-generated code safe and secure. It has yet to share the secret with us, but we have asked. Publicizing doubts about AI's ability to act reliably on our behalf could be awkward for Oracle right now. The database group said last month that it would invest $70 billion in the coming year to finance its datacenter build-out, up from $55.7 billion in fiscal 2026, which ended in May. Rating agency S&P responded by downgrading its credit rating to BBB-, just one notch above junk status, saying there was an uncertain path to making money from the investments. Oracle is borrowing heavily to fund its building program, while accepting negative cash flow. More recently, the spread on Oracle's credit default swaps has spiked, indicating that insuring against a default has become more expensive. ®Get AI news in your inbox
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