Artificial intelligence (AI) is the hot topic of the day (and year, and decade?), and within that category, agency is a rising focus of attention. Large language models (LLMs) have evolved rapidly to become strikingly capable of carrying out myriad virtual tasks we associate with composition, like writing, programming, drawing, music composition, video production, analysis, and information retrieval and research—all of which have digital representations that facilitate this use of LLMs. These generative and analytic capabilities are now dramatically enhanced as LLMs are given the capability to interact with other digital artifacts and online services to carry out tasks on behalf of human (and artificial!) users. To the extent that software (not just LLMs) can be used to carry out tasks, it is arguable that software artifacts can become agents to accomplish intentions.
What makes an agent an agent? One could stretch the concept to argue that automatic temperature control in a heating, air conditioning, and ventilation system (HVAC) represents a primitive form of agency. The HVAC controller has intent: Maintain a given temperature. It has control by directly activating heating or cooling subsystems. The intent may be set by a human, but the rest is automated. Autopilots on aircraft and automatic fire control systems on military vessels also seem to fall into this category of narrow agency. This definition seems to boil down to a capability to carry out actions to achieve an objective without further human intervention.
This story is part of a paid subscription. Please subscribe for immediate access.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Vinton G. Cerf is Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google. Widely known as one of the “Fathers of the Internet,” Cerf is the co-designer of the TCP/IP protocols and the architecture of the Internet. For his pioneering work in this field as well as for his inspired leadership, Cerf received the A.M. Turning Award, the highest honor in computer science, in 2004.
At Google, Cerf is responsible for identifying new enabling technologies to support the development of advanced, Internet-based products and services. Cerf is also Chairman of the Internet Ecosystem Innovation Committee (IEIC), which is an independent committee that promotes Internet diversity forming global Internet nexus points, and one of global industry leaders honored in the inaugural InterGlobix Magazine Titans List.
Cerf is former Senior Vice President of Technology Strategy for MCI Communications Corporation, where he was responsible for guiding corporate strategy development from the technical perspective. Previously, Cerf served as MCI’s Senior Vice President of Architecture and Technology, where he led a team of architects and engineers to design advanced networking frameworks, including Internet-based solutions for delivering a combination of data, information, voice, and video services for business and consumer use. He also previously served as Chairman of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the group that oversees the Internet’s growth and expansion, and Founding President of the Internet Society.
