Governing AI agent behavior: Aligning user, developer, role, and organizational intent

AI agents (software systems that can reason, act, and interact with other systems) need to align four layers of intent: what the user wants to accomplish, what the developer designed the agent to do, what role it plays in an organization, and what organizational policies it must follow. When these intent layers are properly aligned, agents deliver useful results while staying within security and compliance boundaries, preventing misuse and building trust.