Analyst Chat #297: AIdentity and the Limits of IAM

Analyst Chat #297: AIdentity and the Limits of IAM

From KuppingerCole Analysts by KuppingerCole Analysts

April 28, 2026 · 20 min

About this episode

This episode explores the concept of AIdentity at the intersection of AI and identity management, discussing the limitations of traditional IAM tools in the context of AI agents.

AI agents don't just use identities. they create, delegate, and impersonate them. In this episode of Analyst Chat, Matthias Reinwarth sits down with KuppingerCole's founder Martin Kuppinger to dig into  AIdentity  (the concept at the intersection of AI and identity management) and why the IAM tools we've relied on for decades are no longer enough. Key topics: ✅ What AIdentity means and why it's more urgent than ever ✅ Why AI agents can't be treated like standard non-human identities ✅ The identity relationship challenge — from simple access to complex agent meshes ✅ Why "human in the loop" is mostly a misconception ✅ The role of verifiable credentials and decentralised identity in securing agents ✅ Where security and identity leaders should start today 💡 Traditional IAM was built for humans. Agentic AI plays by entirely different rules.

People in this episode

Host: Matthias Reinwarth

Guest: Martin Kuppinger

Topics covered

  • AIdentity
  • AI and identity management
  • IAM tools
  • identity relationship challenge
  • verifiable credentials
  • decentralised identity
  • agentic AI

Keywords

  • AIdentity
  • AI agents
  • identity management
  • IAM
  • verifiable credentials
  • decentralised identity
  • security
  • identity leaders

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: KuppingerCole

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