GH-48951: [Docs] Add documentation relating to AI tooling

docs/source/developers/guide/index.rst

@@ -141,7 +141,9 @@ of adding a basic feature.
 
 #. **Push the branch on your fork and create a Pull Request**
 
-   See detailed instructions on :ref:`create_pr`
+   See detailed instructions on :ref:`create_pr`. If you have used AI tools
+   to help generate your contribution, please also read our guidance on
+   :ref:`ai-generated-code`.
 
 
 If you are ready you can start with building Arrow or choose to follow

docs/source/developers/overview.rst

@@ -146,6 +146,45 @@ will merge the pull request. This is done with a
   description, a link back to the pull request, and attribution to the contributor
   and any co-authors.
 
+.. _ai-generated-code:
+
+AI-generated code
++++++++++++++++++
+
+We recognise that AI coding assistants are now a regular part of many
+developers' workflows and can improve productivity. Thoughtful use of these
+tools can be beneficial, but AI-generated PRs can sometimes lead to
+undesirable additional maintainer burden. PRs that appear to be fully
+generated by AI with little to no engagement from the author may be closed
+without further review.
+
+Human-generated mistakes tend to be easier to spot and reason about, and
+code review is intended to be a collaborative learning experience that
+benefits both submitter and reviewer. When a PR appears to have been
+generated without much engagement from the submitter, reviewers with access
+to AI tools could more efficiently generate the code directly, and since
+the submitter is not likely to learn from the review process, their time is
+more productively spent researching and reporting on the issue.
+
+We are not opposed to the use of AI tools in generating PRs, but recommend
+the following:
+
+* Only submit a PR if you are able to debug and own the changes yourself -
+  review all generated code to understand every detail
+* Match the style and conventions used in the rest of the codebase, including
+  PR titles and descriptions
+* Be upfront about AI usage and summarise what was AI-generated
+* If there are parts you don't fully understand, leave comments on your own PR
+  explaining what steps you took to verify correctness
+* Watch for AI's tendency to generate overly verbose comments, unnecessary
+  test cases, and incorrect fixes
+* Break down large PRs into smaller ones to make review easier
+
+PR authors are also responsible for disclosing any copyrighted materials in
+submitted contributions. See the `ASF's guidance on AI-generated code
+<https://www.apache.org/legal/generative-tooling.html>`_ for further
+information on licensing considerations.
+
 .. Section on Experimental repositories:
 
 .. include:: experimental_repos.rst