Global regulatory landscape for AI Agent systems, with links to official source documents
Beijing Measures on Accelerating Agentic AI Development
ACTIVE
China · BeijingIndustry Promotion
China's first provincial-level policy specifically targeting AI agents. Covers five major areas: foundational technology R&D, industrial deployment, super-individual (OPC) entrepreneurship, token economics, and security governance. Maximum single-project support up to ¥100M. First to propose Agent Interconnection Protocol (AIP) and "model-governs-model" safety philosophy.
Key Provisions
Promote Agentic AI innovation: ultra-long-horizon tasks, complex reasoning, multi-agent collaboration
Support "Token Factories" — explore token vouchers and agent service vouchers as new compute subsidies
Establish tiered and classified agent regulation, build agent safety service platform and trusted sandbox
The world's first comprehensive AI legislation. Adopts a risk-tiered framework, classifying autonomous agent systems as high-risk and requiring mandatory risk assessments, transparency disclosures, and human oversight. Fully enforceable from August 12, 2026.
Key Provisions
High-risk AI systems must complete conformity assessments, maintain technical documentation, logging, and human oversight
Autonomous AI systems in critical infrastructure, hiring, or law enforcement are automatically classified as high-risk
Penalties up to 7% of global annual turnover or €35M
Framework published by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, providing voluntary guidance on AI risk management through four core functions: Govern, Map, Measure, Manage. In July 2024, a generative AI extension (NIST AI 600-1) was released.
Key Provisions
Four core functions: Govern → Map (identify risks) → Measure (assess risks) → Manage (mitigate risks)
Emphasizes fundamental differences between AI risk and traditional software risk: emergent behavior, sociotechnical coupling, unpredictability
April 2026: released concept paper on AI Risk Management Profile for Critical Infrastructure
The UK takes a "pro-innovation" path — no horizontal omnibus legislation. Instead, five cross-sector principles are enforced by existing regulators within their respective mandates. The AI Safety Institute is the world's first national-level AI safety research body.
The world's first governance framework specifically targeting autonomous AI agents, released at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Identifies five agent-specific risks (misfeasance, overreach, cascading failures, data leakage, bias amplification) across four governance dimensions.
Key Provisions
Four governance dimensions: risk assessment & boundary setting, meaningful human accountability, technical controls & processes, end-user responsibility