The present disclosure is directed to methods and apparatus for validating and authenticating use of machine learning models. For example, various techniques are described herein to limit the vulnerability of machine learning models to attack and/or exploitation of the model for malicious use, and for detecting when such attack/exploitation has occurred. Additionally, various embodiments described herein promote the protection of sensitive and/or valuable data, for example by ensuring only licensed use is permissible. Moreover, techniques are described for version tracking, usage tracking, permission tracking, and evolution of machine learning models.