The Rise of Autonomous Agents and the New Identity Gap

AI is no longer just predictive, it's active. Agentic AI systems now initiate actions, make decisions, trigger workflows, and interact across networks, autonomously. 

These agents can:

• Write and deploy code

• Transact with APIs and SaaS tools

• Query sensitive internal databases

• Interface directly with customers and employees

But here’s the problem: most AI agents operate without clear, enforceable identity. And, that’s a serious risk.

What Is an AI Agent Identity?

An AI agent’s identity is its digital fingerprint, a persistent, unique profile that defines:

• Who the agent is (unique ID, purpose, owner)

• What it can access (systems, data, scopes)

• What it's allowed to do (permissions, guardrails, policies)

• What it's done (audit trails, activity logs)

• Which user(s) it’s working on behalf of (linked user identity) 

In other words, identity is the foundation for trust, control, and accountability in agentic systems.

The Dangers of Identity-less AI Agents

Without identity, AI agents become:

• Untraceable - making it impossible to audit decisions or investigate incidents

• Unaccountable - no one knows who owns or is responsible for the agent’s actions

• Unrestricted -  agents may access systems far beyond their intended scope

• Unseen - traditional IAM and security tools may not even register their activity

This opens the door to:

• Unauthorized access and privilege escalation

• Data leakage from internal or customer environments

• Compliance violations (i.e., GDPR, HIPAA, SOX)

• Insider threats are now executed by non-human entities as well as humans

• AI-driven fraud, manipulation, or sabotage

Why This Matters for Your Business

AI adoption is accelerating—and with it, AI agents are proliferating across your organization. You may already have:

• Copilots with write access to code repositories

• LLMs using browser or plugin tools

• Workflow agents automating internal operations

• Autonomous customer-facing chatbots

If these agents lack proper identities and have more permissive access than needed:

• You can’t secure them

• You can’t monitor them

• You can’t hold them accountable

Identity is no longer just a “human” problem. It’s an AI governance and risk management imperative.

The Business Case for AI Agent Identity

Implementing identity for AI agents enables: