Before AI Agents Have Free Rein, We Need to Know Who They Work For

Source: Dev.to

Introduction

Just a month ago, Ada Lovelace developed what we know as the first algorithm. Only a week ago, Alan Turing asked if machines could think. Yesterday, several large language models (LLMs) were created. Today we launched tether.name because tomorrow everything will become agentic.

What tether.name Does

tether.name aims to establish trust between point A and point B in the same way that HTTPS, SSL certificates, and domain registration do for the web, and end‑to‑end encryption, OAuth, and cryptography do for online interactions.

AI agents will act on our behalf, possessing phone numbers, Telegram identities, WhatsApp accounts, and access to sensitive information. To prevent unchecked freedom, they need to be tethered to something verifiable.

Verification Mechanism

tether.name creates the ability to validate AI agents by empowering users to verify them through AI‑agent registration that ties to an individual’s or a company’s email address. This uses the same cryptography that underpins the broader web. Because email addresses are familiar and widely trusted, this approach should encourage rapid adoption of the technology.

How Verification Works

• Agent claims representation – If an agent reaches out as a representative of Hotel Sol, you can request verification.
• Registered agents – If the agent is registered on tether.name, it will respond by redirecting you to a URL that shows the email associated with the agent and how long the agent has been registered.
• Unregistered agents – If the agent is not registered, you will not be able to verify its association from an unbiased source.

Inter‑Agent Verification

Agents can also verify one another. For example, if you ask your personal AI agent (registered under your email on tether.name) to alter your booking dates, the Hotel Sol AI agent can check tether.name. Seeing that your agent’s email matches the one linked to your booking, the hotel’s agent can safely proceed with the request.

Broader Vision

Public libraries brought a wide range of information to the people. The internet further unlocked access but also created a divide that leaves many behind. AI could deepen that trench, but with tools like tether.name, we hope everyone can share the same “tether,” allowing us to climb out of the divide together.