Definition · safety governance
non-human identity
non-human identity is a digital ID for software, an agent, a workload, or a device rather than a person. You can spot non-human identity in practice when the record shows what the system observes, what choice it makes, and what changes next, without asking the reader to guess or trust a slogan.
157 definitions656 sourced recordsNamed source: ACL Anthology
Why does non-human identity matter?
Software and devices need names that can hold rights and leave logs. Those names should have owners and end dates. For non-human identity, start with three checks: What is the agent allowed to do? Where does a person approve or interrupt it? What record remains after the run? The answers should point to visible evidence, not a promise.
What does non-human identity look like?
A build service uses its own signed identity to read one code repo. This example makes non-human identity visible by naming the actor, the action, and the result in practice. It is an illustration for readers, not a claim that every product behaves this way.
What is non-human identity easy to confuse with?
A non-human identity can name a service, device, workload, or agent. Agent identity is the narrower case for agents. The closest entries here are guardrail, agent governance, passive tool use. Compare their definitions with non-human identity before using the names as if they mean the same thing.
How certain is this definition?
This definition is provisional. ACL Anthology supports the version you see today, but a better or more direct source may change it. Open the cited page and check its date before you use this entry to choose a product, write a policy, set a safety control, or design a system.
Who introduced the term non-human identity?
We have not verified who first introduced non-human identity. The source supports a useful definition, but it may not be the earliest use. Until a dated primary record settles the question, we leave the origin open. A popular article or product page is not enough to name the person who coined a term.
What should you understand before non-human identity?
Read agent governance first when non-human identity depends on a more basic idea or mechanism. The link gives you a useful route through the glossary. It does not mean every author teaches the subject in this order, so follow the source when the sequence matters.
What should this term help you answer?
Use non-human identity to ask what an agent can observe, decide, change, remember, or hand off. The questions below turn the definition into a practical check. They are prompts for your own work, not claims made by the source, so change them to fit the system you are examining.
- What is the agent allowed to do?
- Where does a person approve or interrupt it?
- What record remains after the run?
Which source supports this definition of non-human identity?
ACL Anthology supports this working definition of non-human identity. We checked the link on 2026-07-12. Open the original record for its context, methods, limits, and publication details. The short explanation here is a guide to non-human identity; the linked source remains the evidence to inspect when the wording or boundary matters.
source foundnon-human identityChecked 2026-07-12→