One of the most popular Linux distributions is about to get an influx of AI features. As reported by Phoronix, Jon Seager, VP of engineering at Ubuntu developer Canonical, shared a blog post on Monday detailing plans to add AI features to the Linux distro over the next year. These enhancements are aimed at bolstering existing OS functionality with subtle AI models and introducing more prominent 'AI native' features.

The new additions will range from accessibility tools like improved speech-to-text and text-to-speech, to agentic AI for tasks such as troubleshooting or personal automation. Canonical will be focusing on model transparency and local inference when integrating these AI features.

Behind the scenes, Canonical is encouraging its engineers to use AI more, but Seager noted that 'I will not be measuring people at Canonical by how much they use AI, but rather continue to measure them on how well they deliver.' This approach reflects a balanced view of AI's role in software development.

Seager also believes that these AI features could potentially help new users navigate the famously fragmented Linux desktop ecosystem. 'If we’re careful about how we employ LLMs in a system context, they could demystify the capabilities of a modern Linux workstation and bring them to a much wider audience,' he said.