diff --git a/fs/aio.c b/fs/aio.c
index d6b1551342b7..9fe7216457d8 100644
--- a/fs/aio.c
+++ b/fs/aio.c
@@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ static struct kiocb fastcall *__aio_get_req(struct kioctx *ctx)
 	if (unlikely(!req))
 		return NULL;
 
-	req->ki_flags = 1 << KIF_LOCKED;
+	req->ki_flags = 0;
 	req->ki_users = 2;
 	req->ki_key = 0;
 	req->ki_ctx = ctx;
@@ -547,25 +547,6 @@ struct kioctx *lookup_ioctx(unsigned long ctx_id)
 	return ioctx;
 }
 
-static int lock_kiocb_action(void *param)
-{
-	schedule();
-	return 0;
-}
-
-static inline void lock_kiocb(struct kiocb *iocb)
-{
-	wait_on_bit_lock(&iocb->ki_flags, KIF_LOCKED, lock_kiocb_action,
-			 TASK_UNINTERRUPTIBLE);
-}
-
-static inline void unlock_kiocb(struct kiocb *iocb)
-{
-	kiocbClearLocked(iocb);
-	smp_mb__after_clear_bit();
-	wake_up_bit(&iocb->ki_flags, KIF_LOCKED);
-}
-
 /*
  * use_mm
  *	Makes the calling kernel thread take on the specified
@@ -796,9 +777,7 @@ static int __aio_run_iocbs(struct kioctx *ctx)
 		 * Hold an extra reference while retrying i/o.
 		 */
 		iocb->ki_users++;       /* grab extra reference */
-		lock_kiocb(iocb);
 		aio_run_iocb(iocb);
-		unlock_kiocb(iocb);
 		if (__aio_put_req(ctx, iocb))  /* drop extra ref */
 			put_ioctx(ctx);
  	}
@@ -1542,7 +1521,6 @@ int fastcall io_submit_one(struct kioctx *ctx, struct iocb __user *user_iocb,
 
 	spin_lock_irq(&ctx->ctx_lock);
 	aio_run_iocb(req);
-	unlock_kiocb(req);
 	if (!list_empty(&ctx->run_list)) {
 		/* drain the run list */
 		while (__aio_run_iocbs(ctx))
@@ -1674,7 +1652,6 @@ asmlinkage long sys_io_cancel(aio_context_t ctx_id, struct iocb __user *iocb,
 	if (NULL != cancel) {
 		struct io_event tmp;
 		pr_debug("calling cancel\n");
-		lock_kiocb(kiocb);
 		memset(&tmp, 0, sizeof(tmp));
 		tmp.obj = (u64)(unsigned long)kiocb->ki_obj.user;
 		tmp.data = kiocb->ki_user_data;
@@ -1686,7 +1663,6 @@ asmlinkage long sys_io_cancel(aio_context_t ctx_id, struct iocb __user *iocb,
 			if (copy_to_user(result, &tmp, sizeof(tmp)))
 				ret = -EFAULT;
 		}
-		unlock_kiocb(kiocb);
 	} else
 		ret = -EINVAL;
 
diff --git a/include/linux/aio.h b/include/linux/aio.h
index 60def658b246..0decf66117c1 100644
--- a/include/linux/aio.h
+++ b/include/linux/aio.h
@@ -24,7 +24,12 @@ struct kioctx;
 #define KIOCB_SYNC_KEY		(~0U)
 
 /* ki_flags bits */
-#define KIF_LOCKED		0
+/*
+ * This may be used for cancel/retry serialization in the future, but
+ * for now it's unused and we probably don't want modules to even
+ * think they can use it.
+ */
+/* #define KIF_LOCKED		0 */
 #define KIF_KICKED		1
 #define KIF_CANCELLED		2