Cerf’s appointment reflects growing recognition that AI agents require foundational Internet infrastructure to operate safely and interoperably at global scale
BELLEVUE, Wash., July 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Innovation Labs, a division of Identity Digital focused on building the accountability anchor for AI agents, today announced that Internet pioneer Vint Cerf has joined its Advisory Council, bringing one of the architects of the Internet to help shape the next foundational layer required as AI agents begin operating across organizations and critical infrastructure.
AI agents are rapidly becoming participants in the Internet itself, acting across organizations, clouds, governments, and critical infrastructure. Yet, there is no durable identity layer that establishes who stands behind an autonomous agent. Innovation Labs was created to help solve that architectural gap.
Cerf joins an Advisory Council composed of leaders in Internet infrastructure, cybersecurity, national security, finance, and enterprise technology who recognize that AI agents require the same open architectural foundations that enabled the Internet to scale.
“The Internet didn’t scale because any one application succeeded. It scaled because shared infrastructure allowed independent systems to interoperate,” said Naveed Ihsanullah, Chief Technology Officer, Innovation Labs. “AI agents now introduce the next architectural challenge. Vint has spent his career helping shape the Internet’s foundational architecture, and there are few people better positioned to help guide how those principles evolve for autonomous systems.”
Cerf brings more than five decades of leadership helping to shape the Internet’s foundational architecture. As co-designer of the TCP/IP protocols that underpin today’s Internet, and through decades of work advancing open standards, Internet governance, and the evolution of critical infrastructure, he has consistently championed the principles of interoperability and shared architecture that enabled the Internet to scale. Most recently, he served as Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google.
“The Internet has always evolved by addressing foundational infrastructure challenges before they became systemic constraints,” said Vint Cerf. “AI agents are driving the next major architectural evolution, and questions of identity, accountability, and interoperability require the same thoughtful architectural approach that enabled the Internet to scale. I look forward to helping shape that work.”
Cerf’s appointment follows the recent launch of Innovation Labs’ Advisory Council and builds on growing momentum behind DNSid, including submission of an Internet-Draft to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), proposing an open architecture framework for durable identity for AI agents built on existing DNS infrastructure. DNSid complements existing identity systems while enabling interoperability across organizational boundaries.
Innovation Labs believes durable identity for AI agents must evolve through open standards and multi-stakeholder collaboration rather than proprietary trust models.
About Innovation Labs
Innovation Labs is a division of Identity Digital focused on building the accountability anchor for AI agents. As autonomous systems become more interoperable and capable, they introduce risks that existing frameworks were not designed to manage, starting with the need for a consistent way to verify ownership across organizational boundaries. Innovation Labs combines Identity Digital’s DNS expertise with blockchain to establish a global coordination layer for AI system identity, and participates in open standards communities, including the Linux Foundation. For more information, visit DNSid.ai.
About Identity Digital
Identity Digital Inc. simplifies and connects the online world with domain names and related technologies to empower people to build, market, and own their authentic digital identities. With the world’s largest portfolio of TLDs, including .llc, .pro, .world, .fyi, and .studio, Identity Digital supports over 28 million domains on its innovative registry services platform. In addition, Identity Digital enables customers to discover, register, support, and use high-quality domain names with its registrar, name.com. Headquartered in Bellevue, WA, Identity Digital is a global company with approximately 250 employees. For more information, please visit identity.digital.
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Broadsheet Communications
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