Estonia is preparing to become the first country in the world to issue digital identities to artificial intelligence agents, allowing them to operate on behalf of individuals and organizations, but within limits.
The initiative, announced by Prime Minister Kristen Michal, would create dedicated digital identities, or "AI ID codes," allowing AI agents to act on behalf of individuals and organizations within clearly defined legal and technical limits.
Under the proposal, AI agents would no longer need unrestricted access to a person's entire digital identity to complete tasks. Instead, each agent would receive its own identification credentials and permissions, limiting what it can access and what actions it can perform.
Every action taken by an AI agent could be traced back to both the agent and the human or organization that authorized it. "In the future, AI will increasingly carry out digital tasks on our behalf," Michal said when announcing the initiative.
He cited examples including preparing tax declarations, compiling reports, and interacting with government information systems. According to the Estonian government, it must be clear "who is acting on whose behalf with what rights" and who ultimately bears responsibility for those actions.
The plan is part of Estonia's broader Eesti.ai strategy, a national effort launched earlier this year to accelerate AI adoption across government and the private sector. The program aims to significantly boost productivity and economic growth by embedding AI into public services and business operations.
The proposal builds on Estonia's reputation as one of the world's most digitally advanced nations. The Baltic country pioneered online voting, digital residency programs and a nationwide electronic identity system that allows citizens to access nearly all government services online.
Today's AI assistants often operate under the human user's credentials, granting them broad access to personal information and digital services. Estonia's approach would create a separate identity layer that defines exactly what an AI agent can and cannot do.
The concept has been under discussion in Estonia for years. Policymakers previously explored legal frameworks for autonomous AI systems through what became known as the "Kratt" initiative, named after a creature from Estonian folklore that performs tasks on behalf of its owner.
The International Telecommunication Union has warned that robust identity and authorization frameworks will be critical as agentic AI becomes more common in sectors such as healthcare, finance, and public administration. Estonia's proposal remains in the development phase, and officials have not yet announced a timeline for nationwide implementation.
