Offensive security solutions firm HackerOne Inc. today announced the launch of the Good Faith AI Research Safe Harbor, a new industry framework that establishes clear authorization and legal protections for researchers testing artificial intelligence systems in good faith.

The framework seeks to address the issue whereby, as AI systems scale rapidly across critical products and services, legal ambiguity around testing can slow responsible research and increase risk. The new safe harbor removes the legal friction by giving organizations and AI researchers a clear, shared standard to find and fix AI risks faster and with greater impact.

The new framework builds on HackerOne’s Gold Standard Safe Harbor that was released in 2022, which protects good-faith security research across traditional software and has been widely adopted. The two frameworks together define how organizations should authorize, support and protect research across both conventional and AI-powered systems.

“AI testing breaks down when expectations are unclear,” explains Ilona Cohen, chief legal and policy officer at HackerOne. “Organizations want their AI systems tested, but researchers need confidence that doing the right thing won’t put them at risk. The Good Faith AI Research Safe Harbor provides clear, standardized authorization for AI research, removing uncertainty on both sides.”

Organizations that adopt the Good Faith AI Research Safe Harbor commit to recognizing good-faith AI research as authorized activity, including refraining from legal action, providing limited exemptions from restrictive terms of service and supporting researchers if third parties pursue claims related to authorized research.

The safe harbor only applies to AI systems owned or controlled by the adopting organization and is designed to support responsible disclosure and collaboration.

The Good Faith AI Research Safe Harbor is available to HackerOne customers and can be adopted alongside the Gold Standard Safe Harbor. HackerOne also notes that programs that adopt it can clearly signal to researchers that AI testing is welcome, authorized and protected, driving higher-quality testing and stronger outcomes.

“AI security is ultimately about trust,” said HackerOne Chief Executive Kara Sprague. “If AI systems aren’t tested under real-world conditions, trust erodes quickly. By extending safe harbor protections to AI research, HackerOne is defining how responsible testing should work in the AI era. This is how organizations find problems earlier, work productively with researchers, and deploy AI with confidence.”

HackerOne is a venture capital-backed startup that has raised $159 million across six rounds, including a round of $36.4 million in September 2019. Investors include Valor Equity Partners LP, Benchmark Capital Partners, New Enterprise Associates Inc., Dragoneer Investment Group and EQT Ventures.

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