The First Agentic Internet Workshop
Summary: The first Agentic Internet Workshop (AIW1) took place on October 24, 2025, the day after IIW 41, bringing together a global group to explore how agents, identity, and infrastructure intersect. With 40+ sessions and participants from 10 countries, AIW I marked the beginning of a focused conversation on building an internet that acts on our behalf—securely, transparently, and with human agency at its core.
On October 24, 2025, the day after IIW 41 wrapped up, we held the first-ever Agentic Internet Workshop (AIW1) at the Computer History Museum. Hosting it right after IIW 41made logistics easier and allowed us to build on the momentum—and the brainpower—already in the room.
Like IIW, AIW1 followed an Open Space unconference format, where participants proposed sessions and collaboratively shaped the agenda in the morning at opening circle. With more than 40 sessions across four time slots, the result was a fast-moving day of rich conversations around the tools, architectures, and governance needed for the agentic internet.
We welcomed attendees from 10 countries, with the U.S., Canada, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland most represented. The geographic spread (see map above) reflected growing international interest in agents, autonomy, and infrastructure. We expect that trend to accelerate as these ideas move from prototypes to deployed systems.
Topics and Themes
IIW 41 was about the state of identity. AIW1 asked: what happens when we give identity the power to act?
Discussions ranged from deeply technical to philosophically provocative. Participants tackled the infrastructure of agentic browsers, agent identity protocols, and governance models like MCP, KERI, and KYAPAY. We saw sessions on AI agent policy enforcement, private inference, and how to design trust markets and legal frameworks that support human-centric agency.
We also explored cultural and narrative lenses, from the metaphor of Murderbot to speculative design sessions on agentic AI glasses, human-in-the-loop messaging, and digital media provenance. Questions like “Do you want agents acting without your consent?” and “What is agenthood, really?” brought the conversation to the edge of ethics, autonomy, and technical realism.
Throughout the day, a recurring theme was trust, how it’s built, signaled, enforced, and sometimes broken in a world of interoperating agents.
Looking Ahead
We’re just getting started. AIW1 was both a proof of concept and a call to action. The conversations launched here are already shaping work in standards groups, startups, and community labs.
Watch for announcements about AIW2 in 2026. We’ll be back—with more sessions, broader participation, and even sharper questions.
You can see all of Doc’s fantastic photos of AIW I here.
Photo Credit: Photos of AIW I from Doc Searls (CC-BY-4.0)