Trustworthy Agent Network: Trust in Agent Networks Must Be Baked In, Not Bolted On
A new vision paper argues that trust in Agent-to-Agent (A2A) networks cannot be achieved by retrofitting existing individual agent alignment techniques. Instead, trust must be architected from the very beginning of the coordination framework. The paper presents a conceptual framework with four design pillars to address systemic vulnerabilities such as adversarial composition, semantic misalignment, and cascading operational failures.
[2605.19035] Trustworthy Agent Network: Trust in Agent Networks Must Be Baked In, Not Bolted On
[Submitted on 18 May 2026]
Title:Trustworthy Agent Network: Trust in Agent Networks Must Be Baked In, Not Bolted On
View a PDF of the paper titled Trustworthy Agent Network: Trust in Agent Networks Must Be Baked In, Not Bolted On, by Yixiang Yao and 7 other authors
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Abstract:The rapid advancement of Large Language Models has given rise to autonomous LLM-based agents capable of complex reasoning and execution. As these agents transition from isolated operation to collaborative ecosystems, we witness the emergence of the Agent-to-Agent (A2A) network, a paradigm where heterogeneous agents autonomously coordinate to solve multi-step tasks. While these networks may offer better task performance compared to simply using one agent to complete the entire task, they introduce systemic vulnerabilities, such as adversarial composition, semantic misalignment, and cascading operational failures, that existing agent alignment techniques cannot address. In this vision paper, we argue that the trustworthiness of A2A networks cannot be fully guaranteed via retrofitting on existing protocols that are largely designed for individual agents. Rather, it must be architected from the very beginning of the A2A coordination framework. We present a comprehensive conceptual framework that situates trust in A2A systems through four design pillars.
Comments: Accepted by SIGKDD 2026 Blue Sky Ideas Track
Subjects:
Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI)
Cite as: arXiv:2605.19035 [cs.AI]
(or arXiv:2605.19035v1 [cs.AI] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2605.19035
arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)
Submission history
From: Yixiang Yao [view email] [v1] Mon, 18 May 2026 18:57:54 UTC (579 KB)
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