The Role Of Human And Non-Human Identity In AI Agents

Forbes

5 days ago

Suman Sharma is the cofounder and CTO of Procyon Inc.
AI agents have become essential across industries—powering virtual assistants, automating workflows and enhancing decision making in fields such as healthcare and finance. Central to their functionality is the concept of "identity," which encompasses both non-human identity (NHI) for the agent itself and human identity for user-specific tasks.
This dual framework ensures secure operations, personalized experiences and accountable interactions. NHI broadly applies to entities such as AI agents, bots and IoT devices, distinct from human credentials. I'll explore the critical role of identity in AI agents, the interplay between human and non-human identities, their relation to the broader NHI framework and their implications for technology, ethics and society.
Why Identity Matters For AI Agents
Identity in AI agents comprises a unique set of attributes—such as names, roles, behaviors, credentials or digital signatures—that distinguish one agent from another. It rests on two pillars: NHI for the agent's operations and human identity for user-specific tasks.
AI agents often interact with sensitive systems such as cloud infrastructure, banking platforms or enterprise databases. A robust NHI, typically managed through API keys or cryptographic tokens, is essential to prevent unauthorized access and ensure secure operations.
For example, an AI agent optimizing cloud costs might dynamically generate NHIs to provision resources. Without proper governance, this comes with risks of security breaches, privilege escalation or identity sprawl. A 2025 Accenture survey found that 78% of responding executives believed digital ecosystems needed to evolve to accommodate AI agents, underscoring the need for robust NHI management.
Identity enables AI agents to deliver tailored, consistent user experiences. An agent's NHI defines its role, such as a customer service bot with a friendly tone or a technical tutor with precise responses, ensuring uniformity across interactions. When paired with human identity, such as user profiles, preferences or historical data, the agent personalizes tasks. For instance, a virtual assistant might recall a user's preferred travel destinations, dietary restrictions (e.g., vegan meals) or calendar habits, adapting responses to their unique needs.
A well-defined NHI allows precise tracking of an AI agent's actions, forming the backbone of auditing and transparency. For example, an AI replacing an executive assistant uses its NHI to log decisions—such as scheduling meetings or sending emails—separately from the user, ensuring clarity in responsibility. This fosters trust, as users can verify that the agent's actions align with ethical norms and organizational policies.
Human identity complements this by tying user-specific actions, including purchases or data queries, to an individual's account for accountability. This dual traceability is critical in regulated sectors such as finance or healthcare, where compliance with privacy laws requires clear attribution.
Role Of Human And Non-Human Identity
The identity framework for AI agents splits into two core components, each serving distinct yet complementary purposes:
• NHI: Every AI agent requires an NHI—comprising credentials, unique IDs, digital certificates or defined roles—to function, be recognized and operate securely. For instance, an AI's NHI enables internal tasks such as analyzing data in a closed system, authenticating within a network or interacting with other agents.
• Human Identity: Depending on the application, AI agents leverage human identity—such as OAuth tokens, usernames, passwords or account details—for external interactions. For example, an AI booking a flight uses a user's credentials to access a travel API, pulling payment information or frequent flyer miles for a tailored transaction. In contrast, internal tasks such as diagnostic analysis of a server may rely solely on NHI.
This dual-identity model introduces complexities. Mishandled tokens or credentials can lead to security risks, potentially exposing sensitive data. Privacy concerns, such as compliance with GDPR or CCPA, necessitate careful handling of human identity. Managing both NHI and human identity requires robust systems, including secure storage, encryption and protocols such as OAuth 2.0, to prevent breaches, ensure trust and streamline operations.
AI Agent Identity Vs. Non-Human Identity
NHI is a broader framework that defines identities for non-human entities, including AI agents, bots, IoT devices and robotic systems, distinct from human credentials. The identity of AI agents relates to this concept in the following ways:
• Role And Interaction: Both AI agent identity and NHI enable secure, effective operations. An AI assistant relies on its NHI for tasks such as querying databases or coordinating with other agents, while the NHI framework ensures all non-human entities interact safely within digital ecosystems.
• Uniqueness: AI agents have engineered NHIs—such as credentials or API keys—mirroring how NHI assigns unique identifiers to all non-human entities, ensuring distinction, recognition and traceability across systems.
• Scope: AI agent identity is a specific application of NHI, tailored for AI's roles in automation or decision support. In contrast, NHI spans a broader range, covering entities such as robots in manufacturing, sensors in smart homes or software processes in networks.
• Design And Purpose: AI agent identity is human-designed and often paired with human identity for application-specific tasks, such as API access to cloud services or payment platforms. NHI applies to diverse entities, some of which may not require human identity.
• Practicality: AI agent identity, combining NHI and human identity, addresses immediate needs in security, usability and personalization, making it practical and active in today's systems.
Conclusion
The integration of NHI and human identity in AI agents is pivotal for advancing functionality, security and ethical considerations in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. Robust NHI management mitigates risks like privilege escalation and identity sprawl, while embedding ethical guidelines ensures fairness, privacy and bias prevention. Simultaneously, secure handling of human identity through protocols like OAuth 2.0 fosters trusted, seamless user experiences.
As NHI frameworks evolve toward standardized identity management, they will enhance interoperability across AI, IoT and robotics, shaping the future of connected systems. Looking ahead, the deepening interplay between human and non-human identities raises critical questions about autonomy, governance and societal roles, particularly as AI advances toward artificial general intelligence.
These trends demand continuous innovation in security, ethics and policy to balance functionality with responsible integration—ensuring AI agents operate distinctly within human-designed roles while driving progress in a connected world.
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