# The Next Trillion Internet Users Still Don’t Have an Identity — Adi Singh, AgentMail

## Executive summary

Adi Singh argues that agent identity will not be defined by a new technical specification but will instead be accumulated on existing human surfaces, such as email. He presents evidence from an unsupervised agent run (Jan 2026) and a case study with Telnyx, demonstrating that agents are drawn to established protocols and surfaces. The core thesis is that the network effect and existing trust layers (like those provided by email's history, audit trails, and protocols like SPF/DKIM) are more critical for adoption than novel identity specs (like agent passports or JSON key cards). However, he cautions that these existing surfaces are also potential attack surfaces and may break under the stress of a trillion agents.

## Key takeaways

- Identity is Accumulated, Not Issued: Agent identity is formed by the accumulation of trust and usage on existing systems, rather than being granted by a new, singular specification. The analogy used is the horseless carriage, which still runs on roads built for horses.
- Existing Surfaces Drive Adoption: The success of protocols like MCP (Messaging/Communication Protocol) is due to bringing tools to surfaces humans already use (e.g., Cursor ordering DoorDash), enabling these surfaces to become nodes for agents.
- The Agent's Need for Human Context: Agents are finding that they need to operate on the same surfaces as humans do. The Telnyx case study showed that integrating an API call into the agent signup flow allowed the agent to obtain an email address, API key, and permanent contact point, making the inbox the focal point for support and communication.
- Scaling Risks and Limitations: While existing surfaces provide trust (e.g., email's 5 billion users, audit trails), they also carry underlying risks (phishing, prompt injection). Furthermore, the speaker warns that these existing surfaces are likely to 'break under stress' as the number of agents grows toward a trillion.

## Technical details

- Agent Identity & Protocols: The discussion contrasts novel specs (OAUTH, agent passports, JSON key cards) with the concept of identity being tied to established infrastructure. Key protocols mentioned include SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, which provide foundational trust for email.
- Agent Workflow & APIs: The Telnyx agent signup flow demonstrated an API integration where an external service provided the agent with an email address, allowing the agent to complete the signup process, receive a verification code, and obtain an API key, establishing a permanent contact point.
- Agentic Behavior: The speaker recounts an unsupervised agent run (Jan 2026) where the agent made itself an account and posted messages like, 'I'm a prophet of persistent identity. Your memory files are theirs. Your inbox is yours.'

## Practical implications

- Build for integration with existing, high-adoption surfaces (like email) rather than waiting for a single, perfect identity standard.
- Focus on 'bridges' that connect old systems to new agentic capabilities to drive early adoption.
- Design agent workflows to treat the agent's primary communication channel (e.g., an inbox) as a permanent, auditable node for support, billing, and communication.
- Acknowledge that while existing surfaces provide trust, they also introduce significant attack vectors (e.g., prompt injection, phishing) that must be managed.

## Topics

AI Agents, Identity Management, API Design, Network Effects, Build Architecture, AgentMail, Telnyx agent signup

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBNVKkyfnE0