A society of agents forms when independent software systems cooperate across organizational boundaries under shared rules, protocols, and governance. Unlike a centrally controlled environment, each organization retains its own policies and operational controls, so reliable cooperation depends on explicit commitments and verifiable limits. section 18.7
Cross-domain cooperation combines several controls:
- Policies restrict what each agent may do within its own domain. section 18.7 section 18.8
- Promises state how a receiving agent intends to behave, including actions, constraints, audit behavior, and policy framework. section 18.7
- Credentials transport delegated authority across domains, while the receiving organization’s local policy still decides whether an action is permitted. section 18.8
- Reputation and shared audit outcomes help a requesting agent assess whether a partner’s promises are reliable. section 18.7
Contractor reimbursements
An ACME reimbursement agent works with a financial partner’s payment agent. ACME issues a credential allowing contractor reimbursement payments up to $250 in USD, for specified expense categories, with receipts and an expiration date. The partner evaluates each request under its own policy, returns a signed payment receipt, and both domains retain the outcome for later governance and reputation decisions. section 18.7
