ETSI forms group for AI agents

European standards group ETSI has established a new group dedicated to exploring the latest advancements in machine learning within the realm of autonomous AI agents. With the increasing prevalence of AI and autonomous agentic AI applications, the patterns of data sharing have become more intricate, necessitating open infrastructures to meet unprecedented interoperability demands.

The newly formed Technical Committee on Data Solutions (TC DATA) aims to promote the adoption of innovative standards aligned with the European Data Governance Act to tackle these challenges head-on. "The widespread integration of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning has brought us to a pivotal moment where access to data through open and transparent frameworks is more crucial than ever," remarked David Boswarthick, ETSI's Director of Strategy and Innovation.

TC DATA is poised to serve as a hub of expertise in data infrastructures, services, and applications, crafting data solutions tailored to support IoT services, telecommunications systems, and networks. Of particular significance to the embedded industry, the committee will also devise technical standards to facilitate data interoperability and semantic interoperability.

Key areas of focus for TC DATA include guidelines for consumer IoT cybersecurity and ETSI's involvement in shaping 6G standards. As data volumes surge and the necessity for cross-sector data sharing grows, considerations such as data representation, availability, access control, consistency, and privacy preservation emerge as fundamental aspects that must be addressed.

"The establishment of TC DATA represents a crucial initiative aimed at striking a balance between the technical requirements of data interactions while upholding legal, ethical, and individual rights. Collaborating on a global scale is imperative to formulate standards that underpin data sharing with reliability, privacy, and security at its core," emphasized Boswarthick.

TC DATA is set to develop technical specifications that will underpin the implementation and functioning of distributed infrastructures for data collection, sharing, and management. Diego López, the convenor of the ETSI group, expressed enthusiasm about the telecommunications industry's adoption of data access frameworks, viewing it as a significant stride towards enabling the next wave of automation-driven information exchanges.

In its initial phase, TC DATA will concentrate on telecom networks and services, where AI agents are expected to be deployed early on. Subsequently, the principles and specifications formulated will be extended to AI agents utilized in diverse sectors such as industrial applications, maritime transport, eHealth, agriculture, and network management, broadening the scope of impact and applicability.