[License-review] [SUBMISSION] AI-MIT License 1.0 — permissive license for AI-generated code
Nik
nik.sharky at gmail.com
Fri Mar 13 18:54:59 UTC 2026
Thank you for the substantive feedback. Both points are well taken and I
want to
address them directly. I attach new license text according to raised
questions and propositions.
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POINT 1 — THE NAME
You are correct that "MIT" is a registered trademark of the Massachusetts
Institute
of Technology, and using it in a new license name creates ambiguity at best
and
trademark risk at worst.
It is good idea to rename it to:
AI-Attribution License (AIAL)
The new name reflects what the license actually does — extends attribution
requirements to cover AI authorship — without borrowing the MIT name.
It is also more descriptive for developers choosing a license.
The SPDX identifier would become: AIAL-1.0
I welcome any alternative name suggestions from the community if there are
objections to "AI-Attribution License" as well.
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POINT 2 — PER-FILE ATTRIBUTION
This is the more substantive point and I agree with it completely.
You correctly identified that a single project-level Authorship Declaration
is
insufficient for any real-world project with a development history.
Real projects can contain:
- files written entirely by humans (pre-AI era)
- files generated by AI, never touched by humans
- files where a human wrote 80% and AI generated 20%
- files inherited from third-party OSS projects
- files modified by multiple AI tools across multiple years
A single checkbox in a root LICENSE file cannot honestly describe this mix.
The solution, as you suggested (referencing APL2.0), is per-file
attribution.
The good news is that the ecosystem for this already exists and is widely
adopted: the REUSE Specification (reuse.software, FSFE) combined with SPDX
per-file headers.
REUSE already defines two standard tags per file:
# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Jane Doe
# SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
The revised license extends this with
two new optional-but-recommended AI-specific SPDX tags:
SPDX-AI-Authorship: [fully-generated | ai-assisted | human-authored]
SPDX-AI-Tool: [tool name and version]
These tags are:
- Consistent with existing SPDX tag-value syntax
- Backward-compatible (they are optional for human-authored files where
no AI was involved at all)
- Machine-readable and scannable with standard grep/REUSE tooling
- Compatible with the REUSE specification — they sit alongside existing
SPDX-FileCopyrightText and SPDX-License-Identifier tags
The project-level LICENSE file retains a simplified Authorship
Declaration as a default/fallback for projects that have not yet adopted
per-file headers, but per-file headers take precedence where present.
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REVISED LICENSE — AI-Attribution License (AIAL) v1.0
The revised license text is attached as AIAL-1.0.txt. Key changes:
1. Name changed from "AI-MIT License" to "AI-Attribution License (AIAL)"
2. SPDX identifier changed from AI-MIT-1.0 to AIAL-1.0
3. Project-level Authorship Declaration retained as fallback default
4. Per-file attribution via new SPDX tags defined and required for
files where the project-level declaration does not apply uniformly
5. Precedence rule: per-file tags override project-level declaration
6. Inherited OSS files: explicit provision for files where AI authorship
status is unknown (SPDX-AI-Authorship: unknown)
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Thank you again for the careful reading. This kind of feedback is exactly
what makes the process valuable.
Nik
nik.sharky at gmail.com
пт, 13 мар. 2026 г. в 18:35, Josh Berkus <josh.berkus at opensource.org>:
> On 3/12/26 5:30 PM, Nik wrote:
> > I am submitting the AI-MIT License, Version 1.0 for OSI approval. The
> > full license text is attached to this email as a plain text file (AI-
> > MIT-License-1.0.txt).
>
> So this is interesting, but will need some iterations I think
> (completely aside from any requirements the attorneys have).
>
> The first part is the name; we may not be able to call it MIT, which is
> after all a trademark of the folks in Cambridge and this is not their
> license. So we might need to call it AI-Attribution or something (which
> would be a good name considering the purpose of the license).
>
> The second, larger problem occurs in the actual construction of software
> with AI assistance. As written, this license targets only brand-new
> projects which are created "from scratch" and never modified again.
> This is fine for those, but I think project creators want to plan for
> success.
>
> For any substantial project which has a history of development, there is
> going to be a mix, including: files that are wholly AI-generated, files
> which are AI-assisted, files which were written by humans, and files
> which were inherited from other OSS projects whose licenses do not
> require AI attribution so we don't know. Further, files which have been
> modified several times are going to have been modified by several AI tools.
>
> If you want to follow this concept, I really think that some kind of
> per-file attribution (ala APL2.0) is going to be necessary, rather than
> a single statement of authorship over the whole project.
>
> --
> -- Josh Berkus
> OSI Board Member
>
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AI-Attribution License (AIAL)
Version 1.0, 2026
https://github.com/ai-mit-license/ai-mit-license
SPDX-License-Identifier: AIAL-1.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT THIS LICENSE
This license is a permissive open-source license designed for software
projects where some or all files were generated or assisted by artificial
intelligence tools. It extends standard permissive licensing with
transparent attribution of AI involvement at the file level.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PART A — PROJECT-LEVEL DECLARATION (fallback default)
This section applies to all files in the project that do not carry
per-file AI attribution headers (see Part B). If all files carry
per-file headers, this section serves as an informational summary only.
Project default authorship (check one):
[ ] Fully AI-generated -- no human creative input in any file;
no copyright claimed for any file
[ ] AI-assisted -- human-directed; AI generated some or all
content across files
[ ] Human-authored -- AI used only as passive tooling (e.g.
autocomplete); full human copyright applies
[ ] Mixed -- files vary; see per-file headers (Part B)
for individual file status
Project name : [Name]
Originator : [Name, organization, or "AI Agent / <system name>"]
Year(s) : [YYYY or YYYY-YYYY]
Repository : [URL or N/A]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PART B — PER-FILE AI ATTRIBUTION HEADERS (recommended; takes precedence)
For any file where the project-level declaration (Part A) does not
accurately describe that file's authorship, the distributor SHOULD add
AI attribution tags to the file's comment header alongside standard
SPDX tags. Per-file tags take precedence over the project-level
declaration for that file.
Syntax (place in file comment header alongside SPDX-License-Identifier):
SPDX-AI-Authorship: <value>
SPDX-AI-Tool: <tool name and version>
Valid values for SPDX-AI-Authorship:
fully-generated The file was produced entirely by an AI tool with
no human creative input. No copyright is claimed
for this file (see Condition 3 below).
ai-assisted A human directed the work; an AI tool generated
some or all of the content. Human copyright applies
to the extent permitted by applicable law.
human-authored A human wrote this file; AI was used only as a
passive tool (e.g. syntax highlighting, autocomplete).
Standard copyright applies; no AI disclosure required.
unknown The AI authorship status of this file is not known
(e.g. inherited from a third-party project that did
not disclose AI involvement). Use in good faith.
SPDX-AI-Tool is REQUIRED when SPDX-AI-Authorship is fully-generated
or ai-assisted, and OPTIONAL otherwise.
Example file headers:
Human-authored file (no AI disclosure needed beyond license ID):
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ # SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2019 Jane Doe <jane at example.com> │
│ # SPDX-License-Identifier: AIAL-1.0 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
AI-assisted file:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ # SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025 Jane Doe <jane at example.com> │
│ # SPDX-License-Identifier: AIAL-1.0 │
│ # SPDX-AI-Authorship: ai-assisted │
│ # SPDX-AI-Tool: Claude Sonnet 4 (Anthropic, 2025) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Fully AI-generated file (no human copyright):
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ # SPDX-FileCopyrightText: NONE │
│ # SPDX-License-Identifier: AIAL-1.0 │
│ # SPDX-AI-Authorship: fully-generated │
│ # SPDX-AI-Tool: Claude Sonnet 4 (Anthropic, 2025) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
File with unknown AI history (inherited from third-party OSS):
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ # SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2022 Some Project Contributors │
│ # SPDX-License-Identifier: AIAL-1.0 │
│ # SPDX-AI-Authorship: unknown │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
File modified by multiple AI tools over time:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ # SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2021 Jane Doe <jane at example.com> │
│ # SPDX-License-Identifier: AIAL-1.0 │
│ # SPDX-AI-Authorship: ai-assisted │
│ # SPDX-AI-Tool: GitHub Copilot (Microsoft, 2022) │
│ # SPDX-AI-Tool: Claude Sonnet 4 (Anthropic, 2025) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GRANT OF RIGHTS
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person or system
obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files
(the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including
without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish,
distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to
permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to
the following conditions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CONDITIONS
1. ATTRIBUTION
For each file distributed, either:
(a) the per-file AI attribution header (Part B) must be preserved,
where present; or
(b) where no per-file header is present, the project-level
Authorship Declaration (Part A) and this conditions notice
must be included in all copies or substantial portions of
the Software.
The AIAL version tag (SPDX-License-Identifier: AIAL-1.0 or later)
must be preserved in all copies.
2. TRANSPARENCY
If the Software, or any file within it, is redistributed or used as
input for further AI training, the AI origin of any AI-generated or
AI-assisted content must not be misrepresented as purely
human-authored work.
3. NO COPYRIGHT CLAIM (fully-generated files only)
For any file where SPDX-AI-Authorship is "fully-generated" (per-file
header) or where the project-level declaration is "Fully AI-generated"
and no per-file header is present:
The Originator makes no copyright claim over that file. The file is
dedicated to the public domain to the maximum extent permitted by
applicable law. Where public domain dedication is not legally possible,
the Originator grants a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license
to all parties for any purpose for that file.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISCLAIMERS
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW,
THE ORIGINATOR EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS THAT:
(a) the Software is free of third-party intellectual property that
may have been embedded through AI training data;
(b) the Software meets the requirements of any law, regulation, or
framework governing AI-generated outputs (including but not
limited to the EU AI Act, US Executive Orders on AI, or
sector-specific regulations);
(c) the AI attribution information provided (per-file or project-level)
is legally sufficient to establish, transfer, or disclaim rights
in any specific jurisdiction — users are advised to seek
independent legal counsel for high-stakes deployments;
(d) the SPDX-AI-Authorship and SPDX-AI-Tool tags, as custom extensions
not currently part of the official SPDX specification, will be
recognized by all SPDX-compliant tooling.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE ORIGINATOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES, OR
OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE,
ARISING FROM, OUT OF, OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR
OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPATIBILITY NOTE
This license is structurally compatible with the MIT License. A project
that uses AIAL-1.0 grants the same rights as MIT. The additional
requirements (AI attribution headers, Transparency condition) are
attribution obligations, not restrictions on use or field of endeavor.
Files in a project may be licensed under both AIAL-1.0 and another
OSI-approved license using a compound SPDX expression:
SPDX-License-Identifier: AIAL-1.0 AND Apache-2.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPDX-License-Identifier: AIAL-1.0
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