The AI AGENT Act is a discussion draft of federal legislation unveiled on June 29, 2026 by Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, proposing a federal framework for consumer use of autonomous AI agents. The draft would create a registry of vetted "secure" AI agents administered by the Federal Trade Commission, establish security standards for agent products, and impose fiduciary-style duties on autonomous agents acting on consumers' behalf (Source: cyberscoop.com; cbsnews.com).
Status and legislative history
As of early July 2026 the measure remained a discussion draft circulated for comment rather than an introduced bill. Warner unveiled the draft on June 29, 2026; it became publicly reported around July 2, 2026 (Source: cyberscoop.com; insideaipolicy.com).
Key provisions
According to reporting on the draft, the measure would:
- Direct the FTC to maintain a federal registry of vetted "secure" AI agents, giving consumers a federally validated list of agent products;
- Establish security standards that agents must meet for listing; and
- Impose fiduciary-style duties on autonomous agents acting for consumers, addressing the interest-alignment problem that arises when an agent transacts on a user's behalf (Source: cyberscoop.com; cbsnews.com).
Warner said consumers need protection from AI agents as the products spread into everyday transactions (Source: cbsnews.com).
Context
The draft is one of several mid-2026 federal measures assigning new AI functions to the FTC, alongside the AI Labeling Act of 2026 (which Warner co-sponsors) and the Commission's enforcement role under the TAKE IT DOWN Act. It addresses the consumer-protection side of the agent-governance questions discussed at Agentic AI and Principal-Agent Problem Applied to AI, and follows the May 1, 2026 Five Eyes joint guidance on responsible agentic-AI adoption.
Relationships
- related: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) — designated administrator of the proposed registry
- related: Agentic AI — the product category the draft would regulate
- related: Principal-Agent Problem Applied to AI — the fiduciary-duty provisions address this alignment problem
- related: AI Labeling Act of 2026 — companion Warner-backed FTC-enforced AI measure