Liaison statement
Reply to LS update of SG17 on Agentic AI, prior and after the SG17 5th plenary meeting

The IAB thanks ITU-T Study Group 17 for its liaison statement
(https://datatracker.ietf.org/liaison/2202/). This response is sent on behalf
of the IAB only.

Several of the requested actions are incompatible with the way the IETF/IAB
functions. Work in the IETF is proposed and progressed in a bottom-up process
by individual participants on open mailing lists, in Birds-of-a-Feather (BoF)
sessions, and in Working Groups (WG) through rough consensus. The IETF’s
structure and processes do not give the IAB a role in committing the IETF or
its WGs to specific topics, deliverables, or technical approaches. The IAB can,
however, provide architectural guidance and support where appropriate.

Responding to the requested actions in Section 5 of the LS:
1.      At IETF 126 (Vienna, AT, 18–24 July 2026,
https://datatracker.ietf.org/meeting/126/proceedings), three BoFs addressed
topics related to AI agents: DAWN
(https://datatracker.ietf.org/group/dawn/about/), agentproto
(https://datatracker.ietf.org/group/agentproto/about/), and DMSC
(https://datatracker.ietf.org/group/dmsc/about/). As of now, only DAWN has a
proposed charter submitted to the IESG. Charter scope and text are under active
discussion on the associated mailing lists, and the IAB encourages SG17
participants to subscribe and contribute there as individuals. This is where
the scope of any future work will be determined. Any submitted charter for
approval will be announced on new-work@ietf.org and last-call@ietf.org.

2.      Addressed to the IESG; the IAB defers to them but notes that where an
SG17 work item would affect an existing IETF standard or indicate a need for a
new one, the appropriate step is to bring it to the relevant IETF mailing list
or Working Group through the bottom-up process described above.

3.      Participation in FG-TIDA and SG17 workshops by individuals active in
the IETF is a matter for those individuals. Such participation should not be
seen as IAB, or IETF representation or endorsement.

4.      The IAB does not have a position on X.dpidm-aAI
(https://www.itu.int/ITU-T/workprog/wp_item.aspx?isn=23767 whose text is not
publicly available), but we would like to note that there are proposed work
items in the WIMSE (https://datatracker.ietf.org/group/wimse/about/) and OAUTH
(https://datatracker.ietf.org/group/oauth/about/) working groups for identity,
authentication and authorization of AI agents. Technical proposals are best
brought to the relevant IETF working groups as individual contributions.

5.      While the IAB welcomes efforts to improve collaboration and
communication, it considers the existing liaison mechanisms the appropriate
channel for inter-organizational coordination, and will continue to improve
those relationships and mechanisms. Where a specific topic warrants direct
discussion with the IAB, the SG17 management team may contact the IAB Chair
(iab-chair@iab.org) and the IAB Executive Administrative Manager
(execd@iab.org), and some time may be set aside in a future IAB meeting.

6.      IETF 126 has now concluded. For future IETF meetings, note that the
session agendas are set independently by the chairs of each WG, Research Group
(RG), or BoF; neither the IAB nor the IESG allocates agenda time. SG17
participants should approach the relevant chairs directly. The IAB Open meeting
aims to increase visibility and share the work done by the IAB with the
community, and is not the venue for the liaison statement discussion.

The IAB thanks ITU-T SG17 for keeping the IETF community informed of its
activities, and looks forward to continued exchange through the liaison process.