Sierra Announces Personal Agent Protocol: An Open Standard for AI Agents
Sierra has unveiled the Personal Agent Protocol, an open standard designed for personal AI agents. Built on OAuth, this protocol allows businesses to control how agents access their platforms, whether through a website, API, or a company's own agent. Stripe and Shopify have joined as early partners, despite Visa's competing protocol.
The protocol aims to define how these AI agents authenticate with businesses and the permissions granted. According to Sierra, the v0.1 specification is slated for release later this month, with payments considered a future extension.
Key Features:
- Authentication: Personal Agent Protocol manages agent authentication, enabling businesses to decide on access levels (read-only or write).
- Channel Carryover: Sessions are designed to persist across different channels, ensuring a seamless user experience.
- Partner Integration: Businesses can choose how agents interact with them, through websites, APIs, or custom agents.
This development comes as Visa also works on its Trusted Agent Protocol, which integrates with ChatGPT and includes partners like Microsoft, Stripe, Shopify, and Worldpay.
The protocol addresses the need for a standardized framework as AI agents become more prevalent. It ensures strong customer authentication for payments and contemplates future enhancements like push notifications and more granular permissions. While European retailers and banks are yet to join, Sierra notes that one partner has its European headquarters in Dublin (Stripe).