Earlier quoted context omitted.
>People spamming Open Source repos with AI PRs aren't trying to help Open Source, they're trying to build a brand I am certain many of them honestly believe that they are doing the right thing and that they are helping. After all hey, they implemented a feature or fixed a bug for the community! It's a grim worldview if you think they are all just selfish.
It's not like this must be exclusively A or B. The high school kid who volunteers at a homeless shelter and hopes it will help their college app is likely doing it both out of altruism and self-interest. (Actually, the person who helps people because it feels good is also acting out of self-interest). Given many ways to be altruistic, people will usually pick the ones that coincide more with their self interest. And…
I'm not saying that to take away from it, but people do things to feel good, or because they get something out of it. Either way you are being rewarded.
This explains plenty of bizarre outcomes. I was speaking to a guy who worked at a food bank. They would take cash donations, buy food at full price at the supermarket, then have volunteers (in a paid for space) pack up boxes.
A more sensible route would be food vouchers. People can buy what they want, no money spent on rent, so more goes to those in need.
But donators want to feel they are donating food and volunteers, probably mainly the higher ups feel that all this unneeded machinery is 'productive' therefore more meaningful / they are in charge of actual people and a physical location which makes them feel important. Thus the inefficiency continues.