The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), a global tech trade association, released a new paper on Nov. 7 that outlines recommendations for policymakers focused on fostering adoption and promoting trust in agentic artificial intelligence (AI).
Agentic AI is an advanced form of AI with multi-step planning and reasoning capabilities. It can operate autonomously within boundaries set by the user and offers numerous benefits to enterprises and consumers.
“This paper is intended to unpack agentic AI, including what such systems are comprised of, who relevant actors in the ecosystem are, and offer initial considerations for policymakers as they think through how to reap benefits and manage risks associated with agentic AI,” the document says, which is titled Understanding Agentic AI.
The paper recommends that policymakers develop and advance a national AI strategy that outlines specific steps governments will take to support the adoption and integration of AI, including agentic AI.
It also recommends that policymakers work to update and improve the government’s IT infrastructure to prepare government data to benefit from agentic AI.
“Government IT infrastructure has not kept pace with the speed of innovation. Governments should continue to focus on IT modernization efforts to adopt modern data management practices,” the report says.
“This means replacing outdated and end-of-life technology, reducing data fragmentation, and consolidating and standardizing government-data sharing practices so that data is properly structured and can scale to make better use of investments in agentic AI,” it adds.
Other recommendations include considering how existing frameworks and best practices can apply to agentic AI governance, as well as supporting workforce readiness to enable adoption of agentic AI.
The paper also urges policymakers to promote industry-backed, open standards and protocols for agentic AI systems. According to ITI, policymakers should also facilitate multi-stakeholder collaboration on evaluating emerging risks.
“We’re still learning about the impacts of agentic AI, and that’s why dialogue between industry and government is so critical,” ITI Vice President of Policy Courtney Lang said in a press release. “ITI’s Understanding Agentic AI helps inform this crucial conversation by breaking down the technology and offering initial policy considerations to support the responsible development and adoption of agentic AI systems.”