Dun & Bradstreet Proposes Know Your Agent Trust Framework

Alex Zuck, General Manager of Third-Party Risk at Dun & Bradstreet, is calling for a new trust infrastructure to support the emerging agentic economy. This economy is characterized by autonomous AI agents that negotiate agreements, initiate transactions, and conduct commerce independently.

Zuck argues that existing authentication methods, including digital tokens and keys, are insufficient because they only verify credentials without identifying which business is accountable for an agent's actions or the limits of its authority. He warns that without a new system, machine-speed commerce will be hindered by human-speed security checkpoints.

To resolve this, Zuck proposes the implementation of a Know Your Agent (KYA) framework. This system would create a persistent, verifiable link between an AI agent and its responsible enterprise, utilizing commercial intelligence to manage risk and ensure accountability as machines increasingly act on behalf of businesses.