I don't completely like or think this is a good ultimate decision, but looking over the thread on Github, it's being done for practical rather than ideological reasons after trying a more liberal policy first, and the discussion thread there indicates that they're already considering how to relax and refine it. A long-term and total ban on AI contributions would be a mistake as it all but guarantees a competitor or a fork, beside enforcability issues that create a "now you have two problems" situation. But as a temporary stop gap as specifically indicated by https://github.com/qgis/QGIS-Enhancement-Proposals/pull/387#... this seems fine, and it's such important context that "QGIS bans AI assisted contributions" is true but misleading.

The linked discussion thread specifically calls this a "moratorium" and it's unfortunate that they decided not include that explanation in the policy document specifically to avoid controversy and flak, with the end result that there's now a 202-comment-plus HN thread: https://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/qgis-developer/2026-Septem... -- the "proof of life" concept being tossed around in that thread, although rejected, is genuinely interesting and I hope they revisit it and allow a nominal financial contribution to the project to prove a human is behind a PR regardless of AI assistance (probably along with some other approach, as a total exclusion and the only way it would also be bad).

My own experience with QGIS is limited to the most basic navigation and queries of some local maps I've archived. Nonetheless it's an obvious gem and I hope they're able to arrive at a balanced and sustainable policy. Maybe they would get there faster and more reliably by tightening the previous LLVM-inspired policy rather than the slam-shut and then loosen approach they seem to be taking, but hardly anyone has experience with a situation exactly like this, so only time will really tell.