GoDaddy Creates Trusted Identity Naming System for AI Agents

Rhea-AI Summary

GoDaddy (NYSE:GDDY) has announced the launch of a groundbreaking trusted identity naming system for AI agents, addressing the critical challenge of verifying and authenticating AI agents in an rapidly expanding ecosystem. The system leverages GoDaddy's extensive experience with domain names, DNS, and SSL certificates to create a standardized framework for AI agent verification.

The solution features human-readable naming, verifiable identity with X.509 certificates, and protocol-agnostic adapters. With projections indicating over one billion AI agents to be built by businesses in the next three years, this system aims to prevent malicious actors and ensure secure agent-to-agent interactions. A developer preview will be available in the coming weeks.

Positive

• None.

Negative

• Early stage product with developer preview only
• Success depends on industry adoption and standardization
• Faces potential competition from other tech giants in AI infrastructure

Insights

Technology Infrastructure Analyst

GoDaddy's AI agent identity system leverages core competencies to address crucial trust infrastructure needs in the emerging AI agent ecosystem.

GoDaddy's new trusted identity naming system for AI agents represents a strategic expansion of their core business into the rapidly evolving AI infrastructure space. The company is effectively applying its decades of experience with domains, DNS, and SSL certificates to solve an emerging critical problem: the lack of standardization for verifying AI agent identities and securing their interactions.

The technical implementation is particularly noteworthy. The system incorporates human-readable names mapped to agent endpoints, X.509 certificate verification utilizing the existing public key infrastructure, and protocol-agnostic adapters that prevent vendor lock-in. This architecture demonstrates considerable foresight, as it allows for broad integration across different AI frameworks while maintaining security standards.

What's most significant here is GoDaddy's recognition of a nascent infrastructure gap in the AI ecosystem before it becomes a crisis. With projections of over 1 billion AI agents being built by businesses in the next three years, establishing trust mechanisms now positions GoDaddy as a potential standard-bearer in this space. Their collaboration with IETF on Agent Name Service (ANS) standards further strengthens this positioning.

This move leverages GoDaddy's existing technological capabilities while opening new revenue streams and cementing their relevance in the AI era. The imminent developer preview indicates the product is well along in development, suggesting near-term commercialization potential.

New agnostic framework allows anyone to easily find, verify and trust AI agents

TEMPE, Ariz., Oct. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AI agents are launching at an incredibly rapid pace, with more than one billion agents projected to be built by businesses alone in the next three years. As AI agents start communicating with one another, a major challenge is suddenly emerging: there is currently no standard for distinguishing legitimate agents from unvetted or malicious ones, nor enforcing the integrity of agent-to-agent interactions. 

To help solve this high-stakes challenge, GoDaddy (NYSE:GDDY) is launching a trusted identity naming system for AI agents. This system is based on proven technologies and protocols, making it easy to find and trust agents that are legitimate. It builds on the company's decades of leadership and experience in helping keep the internet safe with domain names, the Domain Name System (DNS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates.   

"The AI agentic space is a lot like the 'Wild West' of the early internet, but fortunately GoDaddy has three decades of experience building and sustaining trust in complex, rapidly evolving ecosystems," said Travis Muhlestein, chief technology officer, Product & AI, at GoDaddy. "With our scale, expertise and technology, GoDaddy is uniquely positioned to extend that trust and help keep the internet safe from rogue AI agents."   

Technical Details

The service is engineered to work across protocols via a modular adapter layer and draws on concepts documented in an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) draft for an Agent Name Service (ANS). The system issues a report on each enrolled agent: verifying its identity, confirming good standing and specifying its location.  

• Discovery through domains and DNS: Human-readable names map to agent endpoints and metadata.
• Verifiable identity with X.509: Agent operators enroll, renew and manage certificates issued by trusted authorities, enabling cryptographic verification using the public key infrastructure (PKI). 
• Protocol-agnostic adapters: An open layer translates agent records into the formats used by popular agent frameworks, preventing lock-in.
• Lifecycle management: Registration, renewal and revocation flows provide security and governance for production deployments. 

Standards-aligned, ecosystem-ready 

The design draws on work from the IETF on an agent name service, a universal, DNS-inspired directory, that pairs discovery with PKI-backed verification and a protocol-agnostic adapter layer. GoDaddy is driving collaboration with standards bodies and industry partners to ensure broad participation and seamless interoperability.  

Availability 
A developer preview launches in the coming weeks, with broad availability to follow. To see a complete review of the system and sign up to receive updates and the developer preview, click here. 

About GoDaddy  
GoDaddy helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a website and logo, sell their products and services and accept payments. GoDaddy Airo®, the company's AI-powered experience, makes growing a small business faster and easier by helping them to get their idea online in minutes, drive traffic and boost sales. GoDaddy's expert guides are available 24/7 to provide assistance. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com.    

SOURCE GoDaddy Inc. 

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SOURCE GoDaddy Inc.

FAQ

What is GoDaddy's new AI agent naming system and how does it work?

GoDaddy's AI agent naming system is a framework that provides identity verification for AI agents using X.509 certificates, DNS-based discovery, and protocol-agnostic adapters to ensure legitimate AI agent interactions.

When will GoDaddy (GDDY) launch its AI agent identity system?

GoDaddy will launch a developer preview in the coming weeks, with broader availability to follow.

Why is GoDaddy developing an AI agent naming system?

GoDaddy is addressing the challenge of distinguishing legitimate AI agents from malicious ones, as over 1 billion AI agents are projected to be built by businesses in the next three years.

What are the key features of GoDaddy's AI agent identity system?

The system includes human-readable naming, verifiable identity with X.509 certificates, protocol-agnostic adapters, and lifecycle management for security and governance.

How does GoDaddy's AI naming system ensure security?

The system uses cryptographic verification through public key infrastructure (PKI), trusted authorities for certificate issuance, and comprehensive lifecycle management for security governance.