In our recent live event with Jamie Smith, one of the most fascinating ideas discussed was how AI agents will soon act on our behalf, interacting directly with organizations’ AI agents.
But there’s a big problem:
👉 How can businesses trust that an AI agent is genuinely acting on behalf of a real person?
This is where digital ID wallets and verifiable credentials come in.
The Shift from Human-to-Business to AI-to-AI Interactions
Today, when you interact with a company, you typically log into an account, verify your identity, and request an action like updating a subscription or changing an address.
AI is already transforming this process, with AI-powered contact centers handling customer requests and chatbots managing routine support issues.
The next phase of automation is AI agents interacting directly with other AI agents.
Instead of a person calling a business, a personal AI assistant could handle tasks on behalf of the customer, such as:
- Managing subscriptions by identifying better deals and handling renewals
- Booking travel and appointments based on verified preferences
- Handling service interactions like negotiating a bill or resolving account issues
- Updating personal details across multiple services without manual input
This AI-to-AI interaction model could significantly reduce friction in everyday life and streamline customer experiences.
However, without a trust and verification layer, businesses will struggle to distinguish between legitimate AI assistants acting on a customer’s behalf and fraudulent bots attempting to manipulate systems.
Digital identity and verifiable credentials will be critical in solving this challenge.
Why AI Agents Need Digital Wallets
AI fraud is already a reality. Scammers are using AI-generated voices to impersonate real people in fraud schemes.
As AI agents begin handling transactions, customer support, and automated decision-making, businesses will need a way to verify who they are dealing with.
Digital wallets provide this missing trust layer.
Just as individuals use verifiable credentials to prove their identity online, AI agents will need their own digital credentials to authenticate their actions.
Instead of asking, “Can I trust this AI?”, businesses will check, “Does this AI have a verifiable credential proving it’s acting on behalf of this person?”
By integrating digital ID wallets, AI assistants can prove their authorization before interacting with a business.
This shift reduces fraud risks while unlocking new opportunities for seamless, AI-powered customer engagement.
The Business Opportunity: AI Agents as a New Digital Trust Layer
As AI-powered customer interactions and AI-to-AI business transactions become more common, businesses must prepare for a future where AI agents manage tasks on behalf of customers.
Companies that adopt digital wallets and verifiable credentials early will be best positioned for this shift.
Early adopters will benefit from:
- Faster, frictionless customer interactions that remove unnecessary manual steps.
- Stronger fraud prevention by verifying that AI agents are acting on behalf of real customers.
- Reduced compliance risks by ensuring AI-driven processes rely on verifiable, permissioned data.
The future of AI-driven commerce will depend on verifiable digital identity. Businesses that recognize this shift now will stay ahead as AI transforms customer engagement, security, and automation.
