Pakistani and other Asian cybersecurity researchers quietly built reputation in global hacking competitions, bug bounty programs and digital security research. Now, one of the world’s biggest AI giants opened another door.
OpenAI officially added Pakistan to list of eligible countries for its exclusive OpenAI Bio Bounty Program, giving skilled Pakistani researchers an opportunity to earn up to US$50,000 for helping make the next generation of ChatGPT safer. But this is far from an ordinary bug bounty.
Instead of hunting for software glitches or website vulnerabilities, participants will be asked to challenge one of AI’s biggest safety questions: Can the world’s most advanced AI models be tricked into bypassing their biological safety guardrails? The answer could shape how future AI systems are secured.
Despite the headline-grabbing reward, this is not a competition for casual ChatGPT users. OpenAI is looking for experienced researchers with backgrounds in cybersecurity, AI red teaming and biological security. To join, applicants must submit a short application describing their experience, affiliation and country of residence. An active ChatGPT account is also required.
After scrutiny, OpenAI will invite selected researchers into a private testing environment, where they must first sign a non-disclosure agreement before beginning their work. Those who previously applied for the program won’t need to submit another application. The real challenge begins once researchers gain access.
Participants will test GPT-5.6 and future AI models in search of what OpenAI calls a universal jailbreak, a technique capable of consistently breaking the model’s biological safety protections. This is not about discovering single prompt that slips through the cracks.
Researchers must instead identify a broader method that can repeatedly bypass the system’s safeguards across an entire range of biology-related scenarios. If successful, their findings will help OpenAI close those gaps before they can be exploited in the real world. To encourage deeper research, OpenAI has doubled the program’s maximum reward from US$25,000 to US$50,000.
Researchers who uncover a major biological safety vulnerability—or a universal jailbreak affecting GPT-5.5 or GPT-5.6—could receive the full amount. The company also says it may award smaller payouts for significant partial discoveries. Testing for GPT-5.5 will continue until July 27, 2026, after which researchers will focus exclusively on GPT-5.6.
AI is becoming increasingly powerful, bringing enormous opportunities alongside new security concerns. Technology companies are investing heavily in ensuring their AI systems cannot be manipulated for harmful purposes, particularly in areas involving biological risks. One of the most effective ways to strengthen those defenses is to invite trusted researchers to actively try to break them. This process, known as AI red teaming, has become an essential part of building safer AI systems.
Pakistan steadily emerged as a growing force in cybersecurity, with researchers regularly earning recognition through international bug bounty programs and security competitions. OpenAI’s decision to include Pakistan in the Bio Bounty Program is another sign that local expertise is being noticed on the global stage. For the researchers who qualify, the opportunity goes beyond a potential $50,000 reward.
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