Key points
- Codex and Claude reportedly refuse requests to clone paid applications on safety grounds.
- OpenAI reportedly bans ChatGPT accounts for reverse-engineering software, including work involving the REA project.
- DeepSeek reportedly does not impose an equivalent restriction.
Context
The reported limits affect AI-assisted reverse engineering and application cloning rather than ordinary feature development. For organizations maintaining established software systems, the key concern is whether their development workflows depend on AI tools for inspecting or reproducing existing applications.
What this means for you
Already in effect
Teams using AI tools to inspect, reproduce or reverse-engineer applications must account for refused requests and possible account suspensions in their development workflows.
Who benefits: Developers who need predictable AI-assisted reverse-engineering workflows can compare tool policies and avoid relying on a single provider without an equivalent restriction.
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