AI-Restricted Open Standard (AIROS)

Define. Tag. Protect. AIROS is a vendor-neutral open standard from VisionZeroAI that empowers organisations to mark files as do-not-ingest so AI platforms can automatically refuse restricted content.

Published by VisionZeroAI (Pty) Ltd — CC BY-NC 4.0
Quick Snapshot
  • Tag: Verifiable AI-Restricted metadata for files (PDF, DOCX, TXT, images)
  • Verify: Local SDKs + optional Trust Registry for key discovery
  • Enforce: AI platforms auto-reject or warn based on policy

Why AIROS?

A practical, interoperable standard designed to protect ownership, privacy and compliance across AI ecosystems.

Tagging Framework

Embed machine-readable, cryptographically-signed AI-Restricted tags into files for durable, verifiable metadata.

Open & Interoperable

Published under a permissive CC license to accelerate adoption and ensure multi-vendor support.

Privacy-first verification

Local verification with optional hash-based server checks — avoid sending file contents to third parties.

How it works

A simple, repeatable workflow that integrates into existing ingestion pipelines.

1
Tag

Owners embed a signed AI-Restricted tag into the file metadata or sidecar at creation time.

2
Verify

AI platforms call the local SDK or trust registry to validate signatures and key status — without uploading file contents.

3
Protect

Based on policy, the system rejects, warns, or quarantines restricted files — fully auditable for compliance.

About AIROS

AIROS (AI-Restricted Open Standard) is an initiative by VisionZeroAI (Pty) Ltd to create a vendor-agnostic, verifiable method to label and protect sensitive digital content from being ingested into AI systems. The specification includes canonical tag formats, signing recommendations, SDK guidance, and governance principles to encourage global adoption.

Vision: A world where data ownership and AI innovation coexist — safely.

Roadmap

  • Q4 2025 — Publish v1.1 (this public draft) & launch GitHub repo
  • Q1 2026 — Reference SDKs (Python, Node) & Trust Registry prototype
  • H1 2026 — Partner pilot program with storage & DLP vendors
  • H2 2026 — AIROS Certification & Governance Consortium

Get involved

Join the movement. Adopt the standard, contribute to the spec, or pilot AIROS in your platform.

Contact VisionZeroAI

For partnership, integration, or press inquiries — we’d love to hear from you.

info@visionzero.co.za
© 2025 VisionZeroAI (Pty) Ltd — Founders of the AI-Restricted Open Standard (AIROS)