August was a busy month, with the December 2026 cohort officially starting. Community sign-ups and initial applications started in August. It was nice to finally see all the preparation from the last couple of months finally take shape.
A lot of the work leading up to this round has been around figuring out how we make the program more sustainable as AI becomes a bigger part of how applicants approach contributions. One of the changes we decided to make was adding a new question to the initial application asking applicants to describe a technical task or project they have worked on, what they enjoyed about it, what they found challenging, and how they approached it. I implemented this change, and the PR was merged on August 21st, just a few days before applications opened. It is a fairly small change, but we are hoping it gives application reviewers a bit more insight into how applicants actually think about and approach technical work.
I also spent some time reaching out to communities and encouraging them to participate in the December 2026 cohort. point while are thinking through the same questions we are around AI-generated contributions and how to make sure the contribution process is still a meaningful learning experience. Some communities came back with thoughtful questions and concerns about how to tell the difference between someone who is genuinely learning and contributing and someone who is relying heavily on AI to get through the process. We definitely don’t have all the answers yet, but it has been useful to see that these are challenges communities are thinking about too. I’m hoping the community guide we have been working on can give communities a useful starting point while also learning from what has and hasn’t worked for them.
Outside of the new cohort preparation, I continued supporting mentors and communities with the usual coordination work, answering questions and helping keep things moving as the new round shapes up.
It is always exciting to see a new round finally open after months of preparation. I’m looking forward to seeing what the round brings.
Tilda's Thoughts 