Vint Cerf, one of the architects of the TCP/IP protocols, joined Innovation Labs on July 15, 2026, to help develop a standard for identifying AI agents across the open internet. The DNSid proposal links each agent to an existing domain name using cryptographic registration proofs.
Key takeaways
- Vint Cerf (TCP/IP co-creator) joined Innovation Labs as an advisor — July 15, 2026
- DNSid registers AI agent identity by cryptographically linking it to an existing DNS domain name
- Innovation Labs is a subsidiary of Identity Digital, a DNS registry operator
- System is being piloted with unnamed hyperscalers and identity companies
- Cerf compares AI agent identity adoption to TCP/IP — user pressure, not top-down mandates, will drive standardization
Why AI agent identity is an unsolved problem
Enterprises have started deploying agents that operate autonomously across multiple systems and organizations simultaneously. An agent booking travel might need access to expense management, a calendar, an external travel agency, and a bank as different principals. None of the existing protocols provide an answer that scales to an open cross-organizational environment.
How DNSid works
DNSid creates AI agent identities by linking them to existing domain names. Registering an agent leaves a cryptographic record over time, independently verifiable regardless of platform. The key advantage is that DNS is infrastructure every organization already operates — no new central registry needed.
Cerf and the TCP/IP lesson
Cerf left Google after 20 years in early July 2026. Vint Cerf draws the TCP/IP analogy directly: when the agent ecosystem grows large enough, bottom-up pressure will drive adoption of a shared standard.
Competing standards and timing
DNSid is not the only proposal. Anthropic's Model Context Protocol handles agent-to-tool communication within closed ecosystems. Google is extending SPIFFE?SPIFFE: Secure Production Identity Framework for Everyone — an identity standard for cloud workloads; used for mutual authentication between services in Kubernetes and cloud environments for agentic workloads. DNSid bets on infrastructure that is neutral and already deployed.
Why it matters
Cerf is not a startup founder with financial stake, nor a regulator. He is an infrastructure architect with unparalleled historical credibility. If DNSid gains traction with hyperscalers already piloting it, it could become the de-facto foundation for open agent identity without requiring any formal regulatory body.
What is next
- DNSid is submitted as an IETF?IETF: Internet Engineering Task Force — the standards body that creates internet protocols; having a draft accepted by IETF is the first step toward becoming an official standard draft — next step is community review and potential inclusion in the standardization track
- Innovation Labs is running pilots with unnamed hyperscalers — first public results could emerge before end of 2026
- More competing proposals on agent identity will appear — the outcome will define the foundations of the agentic internet
Sources
- TechCrunch — Vint Cerf is working on a plan to unleash AI agents on the open internet
- IETF Datatracker — draft-ihsanullah-dnsid
