Networking Intelligent Agents at Scale: The Vision of Internet of Agents

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Authors: Jinkai Zheng, Tom H. Luan, Guanjie Li, Haixia Peng, Nan Cheng, Xuemin Shen
Cited by: 2

Abstract

As one of the most transformative inventions of the 20th century, the Internet has enabled global-scale data exchange and communication among billions of users. Looking forward, the rapid rise and deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents point to a future where entities of general behavioral intelligence proliferate at a scale comparable to the human population. In this context, networking among the large body of agents, ranging from embodied robots to software-based AI services, would reach the scale and complexity of the Internet. This article explores the architectural design and foundational principles of the emerging Internet of Agents (IoA), which serves as a network infrastructure for large-scale autonomous agent systems. Unlike the Internet for data users, IoA prioritizes seamless inter-agent collaboration, real-time coordination, and operational autonomy over rigid protocol hierarchies. This work discusses a foundational framework for building a secure, scalable, and interoperable agent ecosystem, enlightening the way for the next generation of AI-driven autonomous systems.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Mobile Agent-Based Network Management Robotics and Automated Systems Opportunistic and Delay-Tolerant Networks

Publication details

Journal / source
IEEE Network
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Pages
1–9
Publication date
1 January 2026