ComparisonVertex AI Safety
Policy Gateway vs Google Vertex AI Safety Settings
Safety thresholds vs policy enforcement.
Vertex AI safety settings let you set harm categories and block thresholds for responses. Policy Gateway adds policy-as-code with rewrite/redact/escalate outcomes, quotas, and audit logging.
Feature Comparison
| Capability | Vertex AI Safety Settings | Policy Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration | Safety settings define a harm category plus a block threshold. | Policy-as-code rules with categories, quotas, and response patterns. |
| Harm categories | Hate speech, harassment, sexually explicit, dangerous content. | Custom allow/deny lists plus flagged categories. |
| Blocking behavior | Blocks responses based on probability or severity thresholds. | Allow / Rewrite / Redact / Escalate / Refuse. |
| Filtering scope | Safety settings apply to response filtering. | Policy enforcement for requests and responses. |
| Outputs | Returns safety ratings with category scores. | Decision metadata with reason codes for audits. |
Choose Vertex AI Safety when
- You are deploying models inside Vertex AI and want built-in safety thresholds
- You need harm category blocking configured per request
- You prefer native Google Cloud safety settings
Choose Policy Gateway when
- You need policy-as-code enforcement across multiple applications
- You need rewrite/redact/escalate actions instead of block-only filtering
- You need audit log exports for compliance and investigations
Unify safety decisions across providers
Policy Gateway gives you a single policy layer even as models and providers change.
1
Centralize your rules Define one policy for all apps and environments.
2
Apply enforcement Use rewrite/redact/escalate actions for safer outcomes.
3
Monitor and audit Export structured decision logs for compliance.
Need a unified AI safety layer?
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