Estonia to become first country to issue ID codes to AI agents
Estonia plans to become the first country in the world to introduce digital identities for AI agents to better regulate the industry, Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) has said.
Granting digital identities to AI agents means that an agent acting on behalf of a person or company can be given limited and controllable powers, a press release from the government said.
The new IDs will help to prevent situations where individuals or organisations are required to grant AI assistants access to all of their rights, services and data, it added.
One example given was that it must be possible to specify whether an AI agent may only view data, prepare a document, draw up a payment or act solely within a specific financial limit.
Michal said that Estonia's digital state was built on trust and the core foundations included digital identities, the X-Road, and digital signatures and footprints.
Today at the https://t.co/y0m6kr6QX3 advisory council.
— Kristen Michal (@KristenMichalPM) June 16, 2026
I gave my approval to the council's proposal that Estonia become the first country in the world to create a digital identity for AI agents — an AI personal identification code.
This may sound technical, but the idea is… pic.twitter.com/ibI1FHK4mc
"In the future, AI will increasingly carry out digital tasks on our behalf, compiling reports, preparing declarations or interacting with information systems," Michal said. "To that end, it must be clear who is acting on whose behalf with what rights, and who is ultimately responsible."
He said one of the biggest questions around AI is how can we use that technology in a way that makes life easier but without losing control and accountability?
"If we act quickly, and smartly, Estonia will become the first country in the world to create official digital identities for AI agents," the prime minister said.
Last week, the Eesti.ai advisory board agreed at its second meeting to move forward with digital identities for AI agents, or 'AI ID codes'.
Estonia is taking a proactive approach to AI, with Michal establishing the Eesti.ai advisory board and President Alar Karis launching the AI Leap initiative in schools across the country.
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Editor: Helen Wright
