Bill · S. 5051· Senate(119-S-5051)
AI AGENT Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 7/21/2026
- Last activity
- 7/21/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Sponsored by
- Mark Warner
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "AI AGENT Act of 2026" aims to increase competition and lower switching costs for online services. It allows users of large online platforms to appoint "custodial user agents" to manage their interactions, content, and settings. Large platform providers must maintain accessible interfaces to allow these agents to function on the same terms as a standard user. The bill establishes strict duties for these agents to protect user privacy and prevent harm. It also mandates that the Federal Trade Commission oversee registration, authentication, and compliance. Additionally, the act requires platforms to provide fair and non-discriminatory access to these agents.
Yes· 3 of 6
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?+7
The bill mandates that custodial user agents safeguard user privacy and prohibits them from using data for secondary commercial purposes like advertising.
Does this give people more control over their personal data?+7
The bill establishes legal duties for agents to protect user data and prevents the use of data for secondary purposes like advertising.
Does this protect people from being watched or searched?+6
The act imposes strict duties on user agents to protect user data and limits their ability to use data for behavioral profiling.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Control Over Online Life: End users of large platforms gain the right to designate a custodial user agent to act as their authorized representative for managing interactions, commerce decisions, and account settings (Section 3(a)).
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Enhanced Privacy and Security Protections: Custodial user agents are legally required to safeguard user data and are prohibited from using that data for secondary purposes like advertising or behavioral profiling (Section 3(g)(1)).
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Fair Competition for Service Providers: The bill requires large online platforms to offer functional equivalence, meaning if a platform has its own agent, it must provide a similar interface to competing agents (Section 3(h)(4)).
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Protection Against Unfair Practices: Large platforms are prohibited from making changes to their interfaces that are intended to unreasonably deny or undermine access for authorized agents (Section 3(h)(3)).
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Consumer Recourse: The Federal Trade Commission is tasked with establishing procedures so that users, providers, and platforms can file complaints regarding violations of the Act (Section 4(e)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Potential for Misuse or Harm: While agents have duties, there is a risk that they could facilitate fraudulent or malicious activity, which could lead to a platform revoking their access (Section 3(f)(2)).
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Financial Burdens for Users: While the bill regulates how platforms charge for access, it explicitly allows custodial user agent providers to charge users fees for their products or services (Section 3(i)).
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Risk of Data Misuse: Although duties are established, the bill notes that the Commission must work to prevent harms that could result from agents undertaking actions based on fraud, misuse, or genuine mistake (Section 4(g)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Privacy Rights+6Improves Government Transparency+4
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+7
- Education And Technology
- Improves Data Privacy+7
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households+3Good For Urban Residents+2
- 7/21/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Introduced in Senate