{"slug": "yes-no-ai-is-now-a-feature-libreoffice-the-document-foundation", "title": "\"Yes, no AI is now a feature\" - LibreOffice / The Document Foundation", "summary": "The Document Foundation, the nonprofit behind the free and open-source LibreOffice suite, has explicitly listed the absence of generative AI as a feature in its LibreOffice 26.8 release, stating that documents are not transmitted to remote services and no component requires network access. In a follow-up blog post titled 'Yes, no AI is now a feature,' the foundation outlined firm principles for any future AI integration, including user-controlled execution, no content leaving the computer without authorization, no telemetry, no dependence on a single provider, no compromises on ODF format, and that AI features must be entirely optional.", "body_md": "Something I found interesting that deserved a write-up this morning is the blog post from LibreOffice / The Document Foundation on no AI being a feature.\n\nWhat is [LibreOffice](https://www.libreoffice.org/)? It's a completely free and open source office suite. Think like Microsoft Office / Microsoft 365 - but entirely free and open. It includes apps for document writing, spreadsheets, presentations and more.\n\nRecently, [LibreOffice 26.8](https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/08/26/libreoffice-26-8/) was released with plenty of new features but what stuck out is their developers listing \"No artificial intelligence\" as a feature worth highlighting in their announcement:\n\n\"LibreOffice 26.8 contains no generative AI features. Documents are not transmitted to remote services for processing, and no component of the suite requires network access to function. This is a deliberate position. Any organisation handling confidential, legally privileged or personal data needs to know where that data goes, and the only assurance that survives an audit is that it does not leave the machine.\"\n\nIt seems this actually ruffled a few feathers. With a fair few comments being left across the net about their stance, which leads to the \"[Yes, no AI is now a feature](https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/09/03/yes-no-ai-is-now-a-feature/)\" blog post. In it, they note some firm stances they will not be pushed on including:\n\n\"\n\nUser-controlled execution. The user must be able to choose where inference takes place: on the local computer, on an infrastructure directly controlled by the user, or on a service chosen independently by the user. A default setting that silently redirects to a single provider is not a choice.\n\nNo content may leave the computer without authorisation. The content of documents is a user’s asset and, in many implementations, is also legally protected material: medical records, case files, tender documents and student data. Transmission must be the result of a user’s decision and not behaviour carried out in the background by the application.\n\nNo telemetry of any kind. LibreOffice does not collect usage data, and this must also apply to AI features.\n\nNo dependence on a single provider. An integration that only works with a single company’s API is a lock-in mechanism, regardless of how it is described in the release notes. Interfaces should be open and implementable by multiple backends.\n\nNo compromises on format. Generated content must be in ODF format, just like any other content, and must retain its structure, styles and semantics. An assistant that generates documents in a proprietary format perpetuates content lock-in.\n\nEntirely optional. It must be installable, removable, and absent from the user interface for those who do not wish to use it, including administrators deploying the software across thousands of workstations who, due to company policy, do not authorise its use.\"\n\nWe've seen this in the gaming industry too. Plenty of developers are now making it very clear no AI is being used in their games, while more and more store pages get wordy AI notices.\n\nI think we're going to see plenty more of this as time goes on, at least until that AI bubble finally pops.\n\n🌐**External Sources:**\n\n[libreoffice.org](https://www.libreoffice.org/),\n\n[blog.documentfoundation.org](https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/08/26/libreoffice-26-8/),\n\n[blog.documentfoundation.org](https://blog.documentfoundation.org/blog/2026/09/03/yes-no-ai-is-now-a-feature/)\n\n**Some you may have missed, popular articles from the last month:**\n\n**All posts need to**\n\n[follow our rules](https://www.gamingonlinux.com/index.php?module=rules). Please hit the Report Flag icon on any post that breaks the rules or contains illegal / harmful content. Readers can also[email us](https://www.gamingonlinux.com/email-us/)for any issues or concerns.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/yes-no-ai-is-now-a-feature-libreoffice-the-document-foundation", "canonical_source": "https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/09/yes-no-ai-is-now-a-feature-libreoffice-the-document-foundation/", "published_at": "2026-09-04 07:36:41+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-04 07:52:00.306324+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy", "ai-ethics", "ai-products"], "entities": ["The Document Foundation", "LibreOffice", "LibreOffice 26.8"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/yes-no-ai-is-now-a-feature-libreoffice-the-document-foundation", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/yes-no-ai-is-now-a-feature-libreoffice-the-document-foundation.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/yes-no-ai-is-now-a-feature-libreoffice-the-document-foundation.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/yes-no-ai-is-now-a-feature-libreoffice-the-document-foundation.jsonld"}}