Zetrix AI, with the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, is introducing ‘Know Your Agent’ (KYA), a service that gives AI agents verifiable IDs tied to a person or company. Companies, public agencies and online service providers can check who an agent represents and whether it has permission to carry out a protected task.
Built on W3C Verifiable Credentials, a standard for portable digital proof, KYA can hold delegated permissions and keep signed activity logs. A planned pilot across the Middle East, Africa, China and ASEAN will test whether those credentials can cross jurisdictions while local systems retain control over trust decisions.
The four-region pilot moves AI identity into trade, payments and public services that use autonomous software. Sending findings to the ITU, IEEE and other standards bodies could turn KYA into an early template for recognizing accountable AI agents across borders.
Image Credit: Zetrix AI Berhad
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Verifiable Agent Identity
- Portable credentials for autonomous software create new trust layers for businesses that need accountable AI participation in regulated digital environments.
- Cross-border AI Compliance
- Multi-region pilots signal emerging infrastructure for AI agents to operate across jurisdictions while preserving localized governance and verification rules.
- Delegated AI Permissions
- Credential-based authorization expands the potential for agents to complete protected tasks in trade, payments and public services with clearer accountability trails.
Where This Applies
- Digital Identity
- Verifiable credential systems are extending identity frameworks beyond people and organizations to include autonomous agents with provable representation.
- Financial Services
- Payments and transaction platforms gain new pathways for managing AI-driven activity through signed permissions, audit logs and agent-level verification.
- Government Technology
- Public service systems can incorporate accountable AI agents into citizen services, procurement and administration through standardized trust and authorization mechanisms.
