Ubuntu’s AI plans have Linux users looking for a ‘kill switch’
Ubuntu’s AI plans have Linux users looking for a ‘kill switch’
Ubuntu 的 AI 计划让 Linux 用户寻求“终止开关”
Canonical is adding AI features to Ubuntu soon, but says users can remove any of the ones they don’t want. Canonical 即将为 Ubuntu 添加 AI 功能，但表示用户可以移除任何他们不想要的功能。
Canonical’s plan to add AI features to Ubuntu has some users asking for “a version of Ubuntu that does not include these features,” while others say they’ll stick with older versions of the Linux distro or even switch to a different one. After Canonical’s announcement earlier this week that it’s bringing AI features to Ubuntu, replies included requests for an AI “kill switch” or a way to disable the upcoming features, and comparisons to Microsoft’s addition of AI features into Windows 11. Canonical’s VP of engineering, Jon Seager, responded on Tuesday, stating that Canonical isn’t planning to add a “global AI kill switch,” but users will be able to remove any AI features they don’t want. Canonical 在 Ubuntu 中加入 AI 功能的计划引发了一些用户的质疑，他们要求提供“一个不包含这些功能的 Ubuntu 版本”，而另一些用户则表示他们会坚持使用旧版本的 Linux 发行版，甚至转向其他发行版。在本周早些时候 Canonical 宣布将为 Ubuntu 引入 AI 功能后，回复中出现了对 AI“终止开关”或禁用即将推出的功能的请求，并将此举与微软在 Windows 11 中添加 AI 功能进行了比较。Canonical 工程副总裁 Jon Seager 周二回应称，Canonical 不打算添加“全局 AI 终止开关”，但用户将能够移除任何他们不想要的 AI 功能。
In his original post, Seager said the upcoming AI features will include accessibility tools like AI speech-to-text and text-to-speech, along with agentic AI features for tasks like troubleshooting and automation. Canonical is also encouraging its engineers to use AI more and plans to begin introducing AI features in Ubuntu “throughout the next year.” 在最初的帖子中，Seager 表示即将推出的 AI 功能将包括 AI 语音转文字和文字转语音等辅助功能，以及用于故障排除和自动化任务的代理式 AI 功能。Canonical 还鼓励其工程师更多地使用 AI，并计划在“明年全年”开始在 Ubuntu 中引入 AI 功能。
In a follow-up comment, Seager clarified that, “my plan is to introduce AI-backed features as a ‘preview’ on a strictly opt-in basis in [Ubuntu version] 26.10. In subsequent releases, my plan is to have a step in the initial setup wizard that allows the user to choose whether or not they’d like the AI-native features enabled.” Ultimately, he said, “All of these capabilities will be delivered as Snaps to the OS, layered on top of the existing Ubuntu stack. That means there will always be the option of removing those Snaps.” 在后续评论中，Seager 澄清道：“我的计划是在 [Ubuntu 版本] 26.10 中以‘预览’形式引入 AI 支持的功能，并严格遵循用户自愿选择的原则。在后续版本中，我计划在初始设置向导中增加一个步骤，允许用户选择是否启用 AI 原生功能。”他最终表示：“所有这些功能都将作为 Snap 包交付给操作系统，叠加在现有的 Ubuntu 堆栈之上。这意味着用户始终可以选择移除这些 Snap 包。”
The ability to remove the Snaps for the AI features, or choose not to install them to begin with, may resolve some users’ concerns, but those who prefer to avoid AI entirely could end up switching to other distributions, including one of the many distros based on Ubuntu, like Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, or Zorin OS. These distros have some similarities to Ubuntu, but may not necessarily adopt the new AI features Canonical is rolling out. 能够移除 AI 功能的 Snap 包，或者从一开始就选择不安装它们，可能会解决部分用户的担忧，但那些希望完全避开 AI 的用户最终可能会转向其他发行版，包括许多基于 Ubuntu 的发行版，如 Linux Mint、Pop!_OS 或 Zorin OS。这些发行版与 Ubuntu 有一些相似之处，但不一定会采用 Canonical 正在推出的新 AI 功能。
Artyom Zorin, CEO and lead developer of Zorin OS, said in a statement to The Verge that his distribution is “AI agnostic” and that any potential AI features “must adhere to our values of keeping Zorin OS secure, privacy-respecting, and performant.” Zorin OS 的首席执行官兼首席开发者 Artyom Zorin 在给 The Verge 的声明中表示，他的发行版对 AI 持“中立态度”，任何潜在的 AI 功能“都必须坚持我们保持 Zorin OS 安全、尊重隐私和高性能的价值观”。
Zorin said that some of Ubuntu’s AI features, such as local speech-to-text dictation, “appear to meet these requirements on paper.” “Nevertheless,” he said, “We will review their actual implementations when available to ensure they meet our standards before considering them for inclusion in Zorin OS by default.” Zorin 表示，Ubuntu 的一些 AI 功能（例如本地语音转文字听写）“在理论上似乎符合这些要求”。但他补充道：“尽管如此，我们仍将在这些功能可用时审查其实际实现情况，以确保它们符合我们的标准，然后再考虑是否将其默认包含在 Zorin OS 中。”