Zetrix AI rolls out identity checks for AI agents
The company and CAICT plan a pilot to test recognition of agent identities and permissions across jurisdictions.
Zetrix AI Bhd announced on Nov 5 that it had introduced an identity verification service for artificial intelligence (AI) agents with China's Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT). The launch forms part of its effort to commercialise AI investments after development expenditure of RM3.7 billion.
According to the company, its know-your-agent (KYA) service ties an agent's digital identity to an individual or organisation. Users checking that identity can establish whom the agent acts for and which tasks it has permission to undertake.
Owners can restrict information and service access, impose transaction limits and determine spending permissions, Zetrix AI said. The system also records agents' activities. It combines the World Wide Web Consortium's Verifiable Credentials framework with AvatarLabs' Agentic Wallet technology for credential management and permission checks.
Zetrix AI said the partners intend to conduct a pilot with organisations in China, Asean, the Middle East and Africa, testing recognition of identities and authorisations across jurisdictions. They plan to share the findings with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to support international standards work.
Group managing director Wong Thean Soon had told The Edge that blockchain and AI-related products accounted for RM3.7 billion in development costs. Spending during the preceding 18 months represented more than half of that amount. He said laboratories training personal AI agents in China received most of the expenditure.
The introduction comes amid financing difficulties. On Oct 30, MARC Ratings cut the company's sukuk programme rating to C, citing a high likelihood of non-repayment following an unresolved covenant breach. Zetrix AI said the RM2.16 billion sukuk did not require immediate repayment and that it remained up to date on payments.
