AI Confidentiality Proxy With Data Contracts for Secure AI Transfers

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Securing AI data sets from confidential or highly confidential data from being sent to insecure and/or untrusted AI systems/services is a challenge, as enterprises currently rely on an honor system, which is vulnerable to security breaches by competitors or bad actors.

Innovation Solution

An AI confidentiality proxy is introduced to validate the confidentiality of AI data sets and authenticate their destination, establishing a data contract with AI services to ensure compliance with security policies and restrictions, using AI models and heuristics to identify and manage sensitive data transfers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If enterprises use an honor system to manage AI data sets, then the system is simple and easy to operate, but security reliability deteriorates due to vulnerability to breaches by competitors or bad actors

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of operationVSAvoidsecurity reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a confidentiality proxy as an intermediary component positioned between the enterprise network and external AI services. This proxy validates data confidentiality claims and authenticates destination AI services before allowing data transfer, thereby resolving the contradiction by maintaining operational simplicity while enhancing security reliability through automated verification mechanisms

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If AI data sets are sent to external AI services, then AI functionality and productivity are improved, but data security and confidentiality deteriorate due to risk of data leakage to untrusted systems

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveproductivityVSAvoiddata leakage risk
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary validation actions before data transfer occurs. The confidentiality proxy performs advance verification of data confidentiality claims and authentication of destination AI services, ensuring that only trusted services receive data. This preliminary action approach enables the system to maintain high productivity by allowing legitimate data transfers while preventing data leakage to untrusted systems

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Reliability

If strict validation and authentication are performed on AI data sets, then data security is improved, but system complexity and processing time increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata securityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service mechanisms where the confidentiality proxy automatically validates confidentiality claims and authenticates services without requiring manual intervention. The system uses automated verification of data confidentiality assertions and service authentication tokens, enabling high data security while minimizing the complexity increase through programmatic, self-managing validation processes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS12513118B2Artificial intelligence (AI) confidentiality proxy to secure AI data sets
Publication Date: 2025.12.30 CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC
  • US12513118B2 patent drawing
  • US12513118B2 patent drawing
  • US12513118B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A system and method for an artificial intelligence (AI) confidentiality proxy that can protect a network from the transferal of sensitive AI data sets to outside AI systems. A data contract is established between the proxy and outside AI systems could function as well as user personas for additional protection. This system can also integrate with the network and provide security policy content and inspection rules.