I will preface this by saying that I’ve never worked on developing an operating system, nor do I know the scale or depth of the AI integrations intended, how intertwined they will be with the underlying operating system, so I do not know if this is a possible or even feasible idea, or if doing so would involve a tremendous amount of additional overhead.
That said, looking at how polarized the responses in this thread so far have been, I think it’s worth at least mentioning in hopes it can be done: Perhaps it would be wise to release two streams of post-AI Ubuntu, one with AI integration and one without? Those who like Ubuntu but dislike AI can continue to experience the operating system without it, and those who like Ubuntu and are open to AI can enjoy the two being integrated.
I can’t speak for others, but I can definitely say that with a lot of people I know who’ve expressed a curiosity to trying Linux in the last few years, and particularly those who have moved from “A curiosity to trying Linux” to “Actually daily driving Linux,” a common reason for wanting to leave Windows 11 is to find refuge from the heavy AI integration that Microsoft is aggressively pushing in its products. Another common reason is to breathe new life into old, outdated hardware that is not able to run the latest versions of Windows, but IS able to run Linux, giving a second life to perfectly functioning hardware that would otherwise become e-waste.
While not universal, these are fairly consistently two of the top reasons that people I know who were never interested in switching to Linux and open-source software before are interested in and actively making the switch. I don’t imagine I need much explanation why AI integration flies in the face of people seeking to keep their digital space AI-free, and while I do appreciate and agree with @jnsgruk ‘s point about smaller models eventually being able to close the gap with bigger, more powerful models, that tension does still exist as of now. That puts you in a Sophie’s choice of either integrating more demanding local models at the expense of availability and compatibility, or integrating smaller, lighter models at the expense of quality and performance.
One of the great assets that Ubuntu has in my opinion is that it is one of if not the most accessible way for someone who’s new to Linux or not particularly tech-savvy to get started. It’s easy to set up, involves minimal tinkering to get rolling that might scare off someone who’s new to the world of Linux and open-source. While I understand the need to keep up with the times and integrate newer and better technology where it can be beneficial, I can’t help but feel like it’s a bit of an own-goal for a distro that’s well-positioned as the gateway into the world of Linux to integrate AI in a way that isn’t optional given the reasons that a lot of people are making that first dive right now.
Given all that, I go back to my original point: Might the way forward be to have an AI-free “Lite” version and an AI-integrated “Max/pro/etc.” version? Again, I don’t know how feasible it is or how much extra demand this would place on contributors or if it’s even possible, but it seems like a reasonable compromise that would let those who want AI integration to have it without alienating users who explicitly don’t want it. (At the very least, making it an option that’s uninstalled by-default and requires explicit opt-in would also be a good option imo)