Since the beginning of space exploration, countries have raced to put objects into Earth’s orbit, providing us with telecommunications, GPS services, weather tracking, and contributing to science in ways we can only imagine. But after decades of uncontrolled launches, space has also become increasingly more congested, with over 48,900 different objects currently circling the earth. These objects that represent risk to humans both in space and on the ground, the “ethical debt” of rushing to exploit this untapped resource without proper foresight or proper controls.
The core of this growing problem is purpose or "intent"; objects deemed beneficial should be allowed, and harmful ones eliminated. But the calculation of intent is not always so straightforward. Who launched the object? What was its original stated purpose? Who currently controls or owns the object? And how do we validate these claims?
The adoption of agentic AI presents a similar problem for identity. Access controls and real-time governance of automated actors depend on an analogous understanding of intent. Purpose, creation, ownership, operation—these are all factors in the calculation of the purpose of an agent's activity and actions. While calculation of intent is (at times) relatively straightforward, it's more often a rapidly evolving, challenging operation.
We'll learn lessons from what space exploration has gotten right (and horribly wrong) as it seeks to evaluate intent and seek to apply that insight to the current frontiers of identity.
