Towards Agentic AI Governance: A Preliminary Assessment

2026-07-08

AI Summary

The rise of autonomous AI agents poses significant challenges to conventional governance frameworks, necessitating targeted regulatory approaches. This study presents the first systematic literature review in this domain, integrating qualitative analysis with interdisciplinary governance theories to identify the distinctive characteristics of autonomous agents that differentiate them from traditional AI systems and to delineate their unique governance requirements. The research articulates core governance issues, clarifies mechanisms for multi-stakeholder coordination, and proposes an initial research roadmap. These contributions lay a theoretical foundation for developing adaptive governance frameworks and informing related policy formulation.

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is rapidly evolving from generative systems to agentic AI capable of autonomously planning and executing tasks. Widely characterized as the Year of Agentic AI, 2025 marked accelerated development and deployment, introducing new ethical and governance challenges. This paper presents a systematic review of the emerging literature on agentic AI governance. Our analysis identifies features that distinguish agentic AI from traditional systems and why it warrants targeted governance attention. We synthesize prevailing governance priorities, proposed mechanisms, and stakeholder roles shaping this evolving domain. As an initial scholarly effort, this review lays the preliminary groundwork for developing a structured roadmap to guide responsible and adaptive agentic AI governance.

Problem

• Agentic AI
• AI governance
• ethical challenges
• autonomous systems
• AI policy

Innovation

• Agentic AI
• AI governance
• systematic review
• adaptive governance
• autonomous AI