AI governance glossary
Red teaming (AI)
Definition
Structured adversarial testing in which testers try to make an AI system fail: produce harmful output, leak data, ignore its instructions or be misused. It is one of the evaluations expected of the most capable general-purpose models and a common control for generative AI.
Source: EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689). A plain-language explanation for orientation, not the legal text; follow the source for the binding wording.
Red-team testing control →AI red team test plan →
Laws and policies on record that use it
- Colorado ADMT law (SB 26-189)Colorado (United States) · Adopted
- Law on Artificial Intelligence (2025)Kazakhstan · Adopted
- Law No. 132/2025 on artificial intelligenceItaly · In force
- Texas Responsible AI Governance Act (TRAIGA)Texas (United States) · In force
- EU AI ActEuropean Union · Partially applicable
- Framework Convention on AI (CETS 225)Council of Europe · Adopted
- Colorado AI ActColorado (United States) · Repealed
- India DPDP ActIndia · Partially applicable
Duties that mention it
- Establish accountability processes and a risk-management process (guardrails 1 and 2)Australian Voluntary AI Safety Standard · Australia
- Test and monitor systems, enable human control, and be transparent with users (guardrails 4 to 6)Australian Voluntary AI Safety Standard · Australia
- Provide contestability, supply-chain transparency and records (guardrails 7 to 9)Australian Voluntary AI Safety Standard · Australia
- Do not deploy or provide AI for prohibited practicesEU AI Act · European Union
- Ensure AI literacy of staff operating AI systemsEU AI Act · European Union
- Establish a risk management system for high-risk AIEU AI Act · European Union
- Apply data governance and quality criteria to training, validation and testing dataEU AI Act · European Union
- Design high-risk systems to log events automaticallyEU AI Act · European Union
Related terms
- AI systemA machine-based system that operates with some autonomy, may adapt after it is deployed, and infers from the i...
- General-purpose AI model (GPAI)An AI model, typically trained on a large amount of data with self-supervision at scale, that shows significan...
- Systemic risk (general-purpose AI)Under the EU AI Act, a general-purpose AI model has systemic risk when it has high-impact capabilities, which...
- High-risk AI systemIn the EU AI Act, an AI system that is a safety component of (or is itself) a product covered by the EU produc...
- Prohibited AI practicesUses of AI the EU AI Act bans outright, including manipulative or deceptive techniques that cause significant...
- Intended purposeThe use a provider intends an AI system for, including the context and conditions of use, as stated in its ins...
All glossary terms · Think a definition is off? Tell us; corrections are logged on the corrections page.
Frequently asked questions
What does "Red teaming" mean?
Structured adversarial testing in which testers try to make an AI system fail: produce harmful output, leak data, ignore its instructions or be misused. It is one of the evaluations expected of the most capable general-purpose models and a common control for generative AI.
Where does the term Red teaming come from?
This explanation follows EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689). It is a plain-language paraphrase for orientation; the source has the binding wording.
Which laws and policies use the term Red teaming?
Among the records on this site: Colorado ADMT law (SB 26-189) (Colorado); Law on Artificial Intelligence (2025) (Kazakhstan); Law No. 132/2025 on artificial intelligence (Italy); Texas Responsible AI Governance Act (TRAIGA) (Texas) and EU AI Act (EU).