Estonia's ambitious proposal to introduce a national registration system for artificial intelligence agents has triggered strong opposition from cybersecurity specialists, technology companies and government institutions, with critics warning that the legislation could undermine the country's digital security infrastructure, Estonia's public broadcaster ERR.ee reported on October 26.

The dispute highlights growing challenges surrounding autonomous AI systems capable of managing financial transactions, submitting official documents and accessing sensitive personal information. Estonia's initiative could influence how other European countries approach digital identity, cybersecurity and accountability as AI agents become increasingly integrated into public services.

Economic Affairs and Industry Minister Liina Vahtras wants individuals to register AI agents under unique identification codes, allowing authorities to distinguish between citizens and automated systems acting on their behalf.

Initially, registration would be voluntary and limited to one agent per individual.

However, Estonian cybersecurity company Cybernetica, which helped develop the country's e-government infrastructure, submitted an 11-page assessment describing the draft legislation as inadequate and potentially dangerous.

Cybernetica development manager Arne Ansper warned that registering agents without robust authentication mechanisms could weaken existing safeguards.

"The security level must actually be equivalent to what we currently have with ID cards, Mobile-ID or Smart-ID," he said.

The Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications also criticised the proposal, particularly the uncertainty surrounding responsibility for mistakes made by autonomous systems.

Its president, Ats Albre, argued that individuals should remain accountable for actions performed by AI agents on their behalf, ERR.ee reported.

The proposal has additionally attracted objections from legal specialists, the Competition Authority and the Data Protection Inspectorate. None of the ministries approved the draft by the consultation deadline.

Despite the criticism, Vahtras defended the initiative, arguing that legislative changes must accompany technological development rather than delay innovation.

The government hopes to submit amendments to Estonia's parliament, the Riigikogu, in early November.

The minister stressed that participation would remain optional and that the registration scheme could be abandoned if technical implementation proved impractical or excessively expensive, ERR.ee reported.