AI Translates Human Policies into Machine Code

For years, organizations implementing policy-as-code (PaC) approaches have faced a fundamental translation problem. Human-readable access control policies written in natural language needed manual conversion to machine-enforceable code, creating bottlenecks in deployment and potential inconsistencies in implementation. This gap between human requirements and machine execution has been particularly challenging in compliance-driven environments where precision and auditability are paramount. The Open Policy Agent's Rego language provided a powerful tool for policy enforcement, but required specialized expertise to write correctly.

Prose2Policy (P2P) introduces a practical solution to this longstanding translation . The LLM-based pipeline directly converts natural-language access control policies (NLACPs) into executable Rego code through an automated, modular process. This approach bridges the gap between human-readable requirements and machine-enforceable policies while maintaining deployment reliability and auditability. The system represents a significant advancement in making policy-as-code accessible to organizations without deep technical expertise in policy languages.

Ology employs a comprehensive, end-to-end pipeline that handles multiple stages of policy translation. It begins with policy detection to identify access control statements within natural language text. Component extraction follows, breaking policies into their constituent elements. The pipeline then performs schema validation to ensure structural correctness, followed by linting for code quality. Compilation converts the validated components into Rego code, while automatic test generation creates verification cases. Finally, test execution validates the behavioral consistency of the generated policies.

Evaluation on the ACRE dataset demonstrated impressive performance metrics. The system achieved a 95.3% compile rate for accepted policies, indicating strong syntactic robustness. Automated testing showed an 82.2% positive-test pass rate and a 98.9% negative-test pass rate, confirming behavioral consistency in the generated policies. These suggest that Prose2Policy produces reliable Rego policies suitable for production environments. The high negative-test pass rate is particularly significant for security applications where preventing unauthorized access is critical.

The practical extend across multiple domains where access control is essential. Zero Trust architectures benefit from precise, machine-enforceable policies that can be automatically generated from human requirements. Compliance-driven environments gain auditability through consistent policy implementation. Organizations adopting policy-as-code approaches can accelerate deployment while reducing errors from manual translation. The system's modular design allows integration into existing development workflows without disrupting established processes.

Despite these promising , the approach has inherent limitations acknowledged by the researchers. The evaluation focused on the ACRE dataset, which may not represent all possible policy structures or domains. Natural language ambiguity remains a , as different interpretations of the same policy statement could lead to varying code implementations. The 82.2% positive-test pass rate indicates room for improvement in capturing all intended policy behaviors. Future work will need to address edge cases and domain-specific policy requirements.

The research represents a practical step toward democratizing policy-as-code implementation. By automating the translation from natural language to executable code, Prose2Policy reduces barriers to adopting sophisticated access control systems. Organizations can maintain human-readable policy documentation while ensuring machine-enforceable implementation. This alignment between documentation and execution addresses a critical pain point in security and compliance workflows.

Looking forward, the approach could influence how organizations design and implement access control systems. The ability to generate test cases automatically alongside policy code enhances verification processes. The emphasis on deployment reliability and auditability aligns with industry needs for transparent security implementations. As policy-as-code adoption grows, tools like Prose2Policy could become essential components of the security toolchain, enabling more organizations to implement precise, automated access controls.