ITU launches focus group on trust and identity for autonomous AI agents

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announced a new Focus Group on Trust and Identity for Humans and Agentic AI on 9 July 2026 at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva.

The group will examine how people and autonomous AI agents can identify and authenticate one another across digital systems. It will also consider how the actions of AI agents can remain accountable, controllable and subject to meaningful human oversight.

Agentic AI systems can plan and perform tasks with limited direct supervision, including transactions and interactions with other digital services. ITU said this creates risks such as impersonation, unauthorised actions and unreliable behaviour in interconnected systems.

The Focus Group will develop common terminology, reference architectures and frameworks for digital identity, agent discovery, trust management and interoperability. Its work will also cover security benchmarks, continuous assessment of AI agents and a roadmap for possible international standards.

The initiative is open to specialists from technology, government, academia, civil society, law and regulation. It will report to ITU-T Study Group 17, which develops standards related to security.

The group is co-chaired by Debora Comparin and Amir Banifatemi. Its first meeting is scheduled to November 2026 in Paris, followed by a second in Geneva in January 2027.