With projections of over a billion AI agents being developed by businesses in the coming years, the digital landscape faces a critical challenge in distinguishing legitimate agents from malicious ones. To address this, global internet services giant GoDaddy has founded the Agent Name Service (ANS), an open standard designed to serve as the internet’s first trust layer for AI.
Building a Trust Layer for the AI Ecosystem
The rapid proliferation of AI agents that can communicate with each other creates a pressing need for a verification system. Without a clear way to confirm an agent’s identity and origin, the risk of rogue agents and imposter bots manipulating systems or misleading users becomes a significant threat to internet safety and integrity.
The ANS standard was created to provide developers, companies, and internet users with a trusted and standardized method to verify, discover, and register AI agents, ensuring accountability and transparency in their interactions.
How the Agent Name Service Works
ANS leverages the same core infrastructure that has powered the internet for decades: domain names, the Domain Name Service (DNS), and public key infrastructure (PKI) certificates. Under this standard, each AI agent is assigned a unique, human-readable name and a cryptographically verifiable identity that is bound to a domain name.
This process allows anyone to confirm an agent’s domain ownership and, for those with extended verification, their organizational identity. The system creates an immutable public record of each agent’s registration and history, establishing a clear audit trail for compliance and trust.
The GoDaddy ANS Registry in Practice
Following the creation of the open standard, GoDaddy has launched its own ANS Registry. AI agents registered through this service will earn an ANS-verified badge, helping users quickly differentiate vetted agents from potentially malicious ones.
“AI should move the world forward without putting people at risk,” said Travis Muhlestein, GoDaddy Product and AI Chief Technology Officer. “ANS makes that possible by providing responsible builders a clear badge of trust and giving every user a quick way to see who—and what—is behind an AI agent.”
Relevance for the MENA Tech Scene
For the rapidly expanding MENA tech ecosystem, a global standard like ANS offers a crucial framework for innovation and trust. As startups and enterprises across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the wider region develop their own AI agents for everything from customer service to fintech, ensuring these agents are verifiable is key to user adoption and security. Adopting a universal trust standard can help MENA-based companies build credibility on a global scale, protect their customers from imposter bots, and ensure their AI solutions can integrate seamlessly and securely with international platforms.
About GoDaddy
GoDaddy, the world’s largest domain name registrar, helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a website and logo, sell their products and services and accept payments. GoDaddy Airo®, the company’s AI-powered experience, makes growing a small business faster and easier by helping them to get their idea online in minutes, drive traffic and boost sales. GoDaddy’s expert guides are available 24/7 to provide assistance.
Source: Zawya
