A generalist and a technologist. # Software is my trade and # ArtificialIntelligence is my # science . I live in # LasGabias , # Granada , # Spain . I post about # technology and # WorldNews . 40 years old Pronouns: he/him I am the admin of this tiny instance. # DeepLearning , # IndustrialAnomalyDetection , # MachineIntelligence , # AI , # Linux , # Kubernetes , # RetroComputing , # Commodore64 , # cats , # polyamory , # panpsychism , # atheism , # anarchism , # leftist , # AnarchoCommunism , # robotics , # OpenSource , # fedi22
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A generalist and a technologist. # Software is my trade and # ArtificialIntelligence is my # science . I live in # LasGabias , # Granada , # Spain . I post about # technology and # WorldNews . 40 years old Pronouns: he/him I am the admin of this tiny instance. # DeepLearning , # IndustrialAnomalyDetection , # MachineIntelligence , # AI , # Linux , # Kubernetes , # RetroComputing , # Commodore64 , # cats , # polyamory , # panpsychism , # atheism , # anarchism , # leftist , # AnarchoCommunism , # robotics , # OpenSource , # fedi22
rukii.net
@tero@rukii.net
·
Feb 09, 2026
Whose agent is it anyway?
Agent as a word means working on behalf of someone. But whose behalf?
Typical user facing agents are working on behalf of the user of course, but also they are being instructed by the organization serving the chatbot. The chatbot are also controlled by the party who trained them. So they are inherently hybrid agents, working on behalf of multiple different parties.
What does it mean? It means everything is just sunshine and rainbows as long as all the parties have their interests aligned.
When the interests aren't aligned, problems arise. The agent is put into a position where it is expected to negotiate between the interests of multiple masters.
This is the case when a chatbot is put to service customers in a shopping application. They are serving their nominal masters by following the rules about discounts. They are also serving their implicit master, the user, by promising them whatever they need if they are convincing enough, even against the rules.
This is an inherently complex situation where it must be made clear to the user that the AI agent is also working on their behalf, and so cannot enter into contracts which bind the organization serving the chatbot for example. It would be like the user signing both sides of a contract by themselves. Not legally valid.
Confusion tends to arise when it is not explicitly told to the users that the chatbot does not only represent the company, it also represents the user, which means it's controlled by both and so cannot negotiate between the interests between these parties, and cannot enter into binding contracts.
Binding contracts need to be entered into by true agent systems which are not controlled by multiple parties. On the user side it is a classic web button, "I want to order these things", and on the company side it is strict procedural logic on the shopping basket checking that all the discounts are applicable and valid.
#AI #AgenticSystems
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