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Are you ready for AI agents to browse the web? We explore the future of AI agent authentication, web security, and API design in this deep dive. As AI agents proliferate, critical questions arise: how do we handle security without giving an agent your password? How can we make websites optimized for agent consumption? We're joined by Bobbie Chen, a product manager at Stytch specializing in bot and AI agent detection, to discuss the risks and opportunities.
We cover how OAuth can provide safer, scoped permissions for agents, and the emerging open standard Web Bot Auth, which allows agents to cryptographically prove their identity. Bobbie breaks down Simon Willison's "lethal trifecta" of AI security risks and discusses strategies for mitigating malicious behavior. We also touch on the future of AI SEO, how API design must evolve for a hybrid human-agent world, and the potential impact of agents on web monetization and advertising.
Learn more from Bobbie Chen:
Stytch supports Web Bot Auth: https://stytch.com/blog/stytch-supports-web-bot-auth
Stytch Connected Apps (OAuth for AI agents): https://stytch.com/connected-apps
Stytch Fraud and Risk Prevention: stytch.com/fraud
AGI Builders Meetup: https://luma.com/agibuilders
IsAgent SDK for agent identification: https://IsAgent.dev
Additional Resources from the episode:
Simon Willison's lethal trifecta: https://simonwillison.net/2025/Jun/16/the-lethal-trifecta
IETF Web Bot Auth: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/bofreq-nottingham-web-bot-auth/
Jon Postel as "benevolent dictator" of IANA: http://memex.org/meme4-01.html
Freestyle Cloud: https://www.freestyle.sh
Connect with us
https://x.com/ToolUsePodcast
https://x.com/MikeBirdTech
00:00:00 - Intro
00:03:25 - The Risks of AI Agents Browsing the Web
00:07:14 - A Bot Registry vs. Open Protocols
00:18:04 - How AI Will Change Web Monetization & Ads
00:35:03 - The "Lethal Trifecta" of AI Security
00:41:25 - Practical Advice for Website Owners & Agent Devs
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