Global: UN Agency Launches Global Initiative to Strengthen Trust and Governance of AI Agents

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations’ specialised agency for digital technologies, has launched a new global initiative aimed at strengthening trust, transparency and accountability in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) agents.

The announcement was made during the AI for Good Summit in Geneva, as concerns continue to grow over the increasing autonomy of AI systems and the need for stronger governance frameworks to ensure human oversight.

AI agents represent a new generation of artificial intelligence technologies capable of performing tasks independently on behalf of users. These systems can execute activities ranging from scheduling appointments and making purchases to managing complex business workflows with minimal human intervention.

While the technology promises significant gains in productivity and efficiency, the ITU warned that increasingly autonomous AI systems also introduce new risks, including identity impersonation, unauthorised decision-making and reduced human control over critical processes.

To address these challenges, the agency announced the creation of a dedicated Focus Group that will develop international frameworks and technical standards to improve the reliability and accountability of AI agents.

According to the ITU, the initiative will focus on ensuring that AI agents remain identifiable, trustworthy and subject to meaningful human oversight, particularly when deployed in high-risk environments such as financial services, critical infrastructure and other sectors where automated decisions could have significant consequences.

Speaking on the initiative, Focus Group Co-Chair Debora Comparin said the rapid evolution of AI agents makes it increasingly important to establish globally recognised principles governing their identity, operation and accountability.

She noted that as AI agents become capable of negotiating, conducting transactions and making decisions on behalf of individuals and organisations, common international standards will be essential to determine when such systems can be trusted and how they should operate responsibly.

The Focus Group will bring together experts from the technical, policy and legal communities to develop practical recommendations and governance models that support the safe deployment of autonomous AI technologies.

The group is scheduled to hold its inaugural meeting in Paris in November, followed by a second session in Geneva in January, where members will begin work on frameworks intended to guide the responsible development and use of AI agents globally.

The initiative reflects growing international efforts to establish governance mechanisms for advanced artificial intelligence as governments, regulators and industry stakeholders seek to balance innovation with safety, transparency and public trust.