Executive Guide · Open access
Research Summary: A three-dimensional typology of agency for advanced AI systems
- Original authors
- Attribution requires verification
- Original source
- arXiv — Computers and Society
- Summary & Analysis prepared by
- Aziz Shuaib Ausi
- Resource type
- Research Summary / Knowledge Resource
- Resource published on AZIZ OS
- 28 August 2026
- Last updated
- 21 September 2026
- Reading time
- 1 min
- Publication type
- Executive Guide
- Availability
- Open access
About this Summary & Analysis
AZIZ OS provides independently prepared summaries and analytical interpretations of externally published research and knowledge sources. The underlying works remain attributable to their original authors and rights holders. This resource is intended to improve accessibility and understanding and does not replace the original publication.
Recent research from arXiv introduces a three-dimensional typology to categorize the agency of advanced AI systems. This framework moves beyond existing approaches that focus primarily on normative or highly agentic systems, offering a more nuanced understanding by considering moral/legal, individual/collective, and human/non-human aspects of AI agency.
Why it matters
Understanding the different types of agency attributed to or exhibited by advanced AI systems is critical for developing robust governance frameworks and managing emerging risks. This typology provides a foundational conceptual tool for organizations to analyze and anticipate the ethical, legal, and operational implications of increasingly autonomous AI.
Key insights
- Existing research on AI agency often focuses on normative concepts or particularly agentic systems.
- No prior comprehensive framework addresses the diverse types of agency instantiated by advanced AI systems, especially non-moral forms.
- A new typology is proposed, based on established theories from philosophy, ethics, legal theory, and sociology.
- The typology defines agency across three dimensions: its nature (moral or legal), its mode (individual or collective), and its locus (human or non-human).
- Combining these dimensions yields eight distinct profiles of AI agency.
Source
arXiv — Computers and Society — https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20041
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- ASA-EXG-2026-00763
- Version
- v1.0 · r0
- Issued
- 28 August 2026
- Resource prepared by
- Aziz Shuaib Ausi
- Resource status
- Research Summary / Knowledge Resource
- Underlying work
- A three-dimensional typology of agency for advanced AI systems
- Original authors
- Attribution requires verification
- Original source
- arXiv — Computers and Society
- Provenance status
- Attribution requires verification
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- Underlying publication rights remain with the respective copyright holder(s). Refer to the original source for authoritative publication and licensing information.
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