Key Points

Tim Schilling argues that using LLMs to contribute to Django is harmful if you do not understand the ticket, the solution, or the PR feedback.
He says that contributing to open source is a communal endeavor, and removing humanity from that process makes collaboration more difficult.
He contends that LLMs should be used as complementary tools, not as the vehicle for Django contributions.
The message is part of the broader discussion about AI in open source and responsible automation, as captured in a post dated 17 March 2026.

Simon Willison’s Weblog

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17th March 2026

If you do not understand the ticket, if you do not understand the solution, or if you do not understand the feedback on your PR, then your use of LLM is hurting Django as a whole. [...]

For a reviewer, it’s demoralizing to communicate with a facade of a human.

This is because contributing to open source, especially Django, is a communal endeavor. Removing your humanity from that experience makes that endeavor more difficult. If you use an LLM to contribute to Django, it needs to be as a complementary tool, not as your vehicle.

— Tim Schilling, Give Django your time and money, not your tokens

Posted 17th March 2026 at 4:13 pm