How to Manage Identity and Access for AI Agents Securely

Read full article from Curity here:  https://curity.io/blog/identity-and-access-management-for-AI-agents/?utm_source=nhimg

As AI agents increasingly automate tasks and act autonomously, traditional IAM approaches face new challenges. Unlike conventional applications, AI agents behave unpredictably, requiring a rethink of machine identity, access control, and governance.

Key Takeaways:

• AI Agents as Dynamic Workloads: They adapt their behavior in real time, making deterministic access assumptions unreliable.

• Authorization Requirements Are Shifting: Static entitlements for service accounts are insufficient. Access decisions must account for the identity and attributes of the AI agent, not just the human user.

• Assigning Identities to AI Agents: AI agents should be treated as applications with machine identities, not human users. Common identity mechanisms include:

  • Service accounts + secrets

  • API keys

  • JWT-based workload credentials

  • X.509 client certificates (preferable with mutual TLS for cryptographic proof of identity)

• OAuth and Delegation Apply to AI Agents: AI agents acting on behalf of users can leverage OAuth and OpenID Connect, just like other applications.

• Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) for Applications: Organizations should enforce:

  • Which AI agents can access which resources

  • Under which conditions and scopes

  • Real-time policy enforcement through external authorization systems

• No Magic Needed: AI agents don’t require a new type of identity. They need robust machine IAM, fine-grained access control, and strong governance integrated into existing frameworks.

Bottom Line: AI agents expand the scope of machine IAM, but the fundamentals remain: assign identities, enforce authorization per identity, integrate governance tools, and use protocols like OAuth for delegation. Proper IAM ensures security without hindering the flexibility and autonomy of AI-driven workloads.