Security, privacy, and agentic AI in a regulatory view: From definitions and distinctions to provisions and reflections

2026-03-19

AI Summary

This study addresses the growing ambiguity in safety and privacy oversight boundaries resulting from the enhanced autonomy of AI agents, where legal and technical concepts are frequently conflated. By systematically analyzing 24 AI regulatory documents issued by the European Union between 2024 and 2025, this work deconstructs for the first time the core definitions pertaining to AI agents, safety, and privacy. It proposes a clear conceptual differentiation framework and maps applicable regulatory provisions across distinct AI types. Integrating policy text analysis with an interdisciplinary perspective, the research aligns regulatory obligations with the autonomous behaviors of AI systems, offering precise compliance guidance for policymakers, developers, and researchers to effectively operationalize AI governance in algorithmic societies.

Technology Category

• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: AI & Law, Justice, Regulation & Governance
• Humans and AI: AI for Accessibility
• Multiagent Systems: Agent/AI Theories and Architectures

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Security and Privacy: Security and privacy of machine learning and AI applications
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Agentic search

Abstract

The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has led to a dynamic regulatory landscape, where legislative frameworks strive to keep pace with technical advancements. As AI paradigms shift towards greater autonomy, specifically in the form of agentic AI, it becomes increasingly challenging to precisely articulate regulatory stipulations. This challenge is even more acute in the domains of security and privacy, where the capabilities of autonomous agents often blur traditional legal and technical boundaries. This paper reviews the evolving European Union (EU) AI regulatory provisions via analyzing 24 relevant documents published between 2024 and 2025. From this review, we provide a clarification of critical definitions. We deconstruct the regulatory interpretations of security, privacy, and agentic AI, distinguishing them from closely related concepts to resolve ambiguity. We synthesize the reviewed documents to articulate the current state of regulatory provisions targeting different types of AI, particularly those related to security and privacy aspects. We analyze and reflect on the existing provisions in the regulatory dimension to better align security and privacy obligations with AI and agentic behaviors. These insights serve to inform policymakers, developers, and researchers on the compliance and AI governance in the society with increasing algorithmic agencies.

Problem

• security
• privacy
• agentic AI
• regulation
• autonomy

Innovation

• agentic AI
• AI regulation
• privacy
• security
• regulatory alignment