Continuous Agentworthiness™
AI agents act with speed, scale and autonomy. Like aircraft, they must be continuously monitored, maintained and governed to remain fit for their intended purpose — not certified once and trusted forever.
Continuous Agentworthiness is the ongoing process of ensuring that an AI agent remains authorized, secure, traceable, compliant, bounded and fit for its intended purpose throughout its operational lifecycle.
The eight pillars
Each pillar maps to something aviation already does well. Two — Agent Directives and Grounding / Return to Service — are where the framework earns its keep.
Agent Registration
≈ Aircraft RegistrationDefine purpose, owner, risk classification and operational boundaries.
Identity & Credentials
≈ Certificate of AirworthinessIssue unique identity, credentials, certificates and secrets securely.
Authorization & Access Control
≈ Part-21 Design ChangesGrant least-privilege access to data, tools and systems.
Configuration Control
≈ Continuing Airworthiness MonitoringControl and track changes to prompts, models, tools, data sources and workflows.
Monitoring & Observability
≈ Continuing Airworthiness MonitoringContinuously monitor behavior, performance and interactions.
Agent Directives
≈ Airworthiness DirectivesIssue mandatory directives, policies and updates (like ADs), with proof of closure.
Incident Reporting
≈ Occurrence ReportingCapture and classify incidents, anomalies and near-misses.
Grounding & Return to Service
≈ Aircraft GroundingQuarantine or disable agents when risk is unacceptable. Return to service only after validation.
Latest writing
Findings and frameworks on AI governance and safety — drawn from a career keeping safety-critical systems fit for service.
Why aviation, why me
I spent 25 years keeping aircraft fit to fly. Aviation already solved this class of problem — with decades of regulatory rigor — and almost nobody is translating it into AI governance.