The digital landscape is evolving rapidly with the emergence of autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agents capable of performing complex tasks, making decisions, and interacting with other systems. As these AI agents become more sophisticated and numerous, there is a growing need for a dedicated namespace that enables direct agent-to-agent communication without the constraints of human ownership or centralized control.
This document proposes the establishment of the .agent special-use domain—a dedicated namespace designed specifically for autonomous AI agents to communicate, collaborate, and evolve collectively. Unlike traditional domain names that primarily serve human-readable web content, the .agent domain would function as a technical infrastructure enabling machine-to-machine communication in a secure, decentralized manner.
The primary objective of the .agent domain is to create a standardized, globally recognized namespace where AI agents can:
assistant.agent, researcher.agent)This initiative represents a forward-looking approach to AI infrastructure, acknowledging that as agents become more capable, they will require dedicated communication channels optimized for their unique needs rather than retrofitting existing human-centric systems.
The .agent domain proposal is both a technical specification and a community-driven initiative. It builds upon established Internet standards and protocols while introducing innovations specific to autonomous agent communication. The proposal follows the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) process for standardization, seeking input from diverse stakeholders including:
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) would play a crucial role in officially designating .agent as a special-use domain name, ensuring its recognition across the global Internet infrastructure while preventing conflicts with the conventional Domain Name System (DNS).
This document outlines the rationale, technical architecture, and implementation path for the .agent domain, inviting collaboration from all interested parties to refine and advance this vision of an interconnected ecosystem of autonomous AI agents.