# Distributed Legal Infrastructure for a Trustworthy Agentic Web

**Authors:** Tomer Jordi Chaffer, Victor Jiawei Zhang, Sante Dino Facchini, Botao Amber Hu, Helena Rong, Zihan Guo, Xisen Wang, Carlos Santana, Giovanni De Gasperis  
**arXiv:** [2603.06884](https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.06884)  
**Date:** 2026-03-06  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2603.06884v1/

## Key points

- The agentic web represents a shift to a digital landscape dominated by autonomous AI agents
- Challenges for legal frameworks as decision-making is delegated to non-human actors at machine speed
- Need for a robust infrastructure with interoperable protocols governing identity, delegation, and accountability
- Proposed distributed legal infrastructure (DLI) consisting of five interconnected layers:
- Emphasis on self-sovereign agent identities for individual autonomy and accountability
- Use of cognitive AI logic and constraint systems to align decision-making with technical, ethical, and legal constraints
- Decentralized adjudication mechanisms for efficient dispute resolution
- Introduction of bottom-up agentic market regulation to address information asymmetries and network effects
- Portable institutional frameworks for legal interoperability while preserving diverse sources of authority
- Reference framework promotes accountability, contestability, and adherence to rule-of-law principles in distributed technical systems
- Incorporation of ex ante explainability into Institutional AI design and use of distributed ledger technologies for traceability and transparency to enhance trust in the digital landscape populated by autonomous AI agents
- Importance of establishing a plural ecosystem of actors with clear governance structures for sustainability and legitimacy of the agentic web

## Summary

The agentic web represents a significant shift from a human-centric information network to a digital landscape dominated by autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agents. This transition brings about challenges for existing legal frameworks, as decision-making processes become increasingly delegated to non-human actors at machine speed. To ensure the trustworthiness of this new environment, it is essential to establish a robust infrastructure that upholds legality through interoperable protocols governing identity, delegation, and accountability across systems. In response to these challenges, a distributed legal infrastructure (DLI) is proposed as a governance paradigm consisting of five interconnected layers. Firstly, self-sovereign agent identities are emphasized to ensure individual autonomy and accountability within the system. Secondly, cognitive AI logic and constraint systems are employed to align decision-making with technical, ethical, and legal constraints from the outset. Thirdly, decentralized adjudication mechanisms facilitate dispute resolution in an efficient and transparent manner. Furthermore, bottom-up agentic market regulation is introduced to address information asymmetries and network effects through innovative models such as insurance-based approaches. Lastly, portable institutional frameworks enable legal interoperability while preserving diverse sources of authority in the evolving agentic web ecosystem. This reference framework contributes significantly to ongoing research on embedding legality within agentic web infrastructure by promoting accountability, contestability, and adherence to rule-of-law principles in distributed technical systems. By incorporating ex ante explainability into Institutional AI design and leveraging distributed ledger technologies for traceability and transparency, this approach aims to enhance trust and confidence in the emerging digital landscape populated by autonomous AI agents. Ultimately, establishing a plural ecosystem of actors with clear governance structures is crucial for ensuring the sustainability and legitimacy of the agentic web.