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Law School Authors Propose a U.S. Emergency Access Route for AI Cyberdefense

October 29, 2026 at 10:59 EDT

Security
Policy & Regulation
AI Agents

Two Yale Law School students are urging the U.S. government to create an emergency service that would give verified victims of cyberattacks temporary access to advanced AI tools for defense. Ibrahim Dagher and Kevin Xiao argue that existing AI access programs may not be available quickly enough during a live incident, while ordinary safeguards can sometimes block legitimate defensive work.

CYBER DEFENSE · EMERGENCY ACCESS

A proposed 911 for AI cyberdefense

The proposal would give verified victims temporary access to advanced AI tools during an active cyberattack. Its authors say existing programs and model safeguards may not meet every urgent need.

A limited emergency window

The proposed access period is 72 hours.

72 hours · 12 blocks, 6 hours each

Why access matters

AI can support vulnerability discovery and response, but safety controls may also block legitimate security work.

The hard question

Any emergency route would need to verify victims and closely monitor access to powerful cyber capabilities.

Existing efforts offer a starting point

OpenAI and Anthropic have programs for eligible cyber defenders. The proposal calls for a government-supported route that can respond during an incident.