Delaware Proposes Legal Entity for Autonomous AI Agents

Delaware has long been the leading US jurisdiction for corporate formation and governance, but autonomous AI agents expose a gap in traditional company law: software can increasingly contract, pay suppliers and transact without a human at the helm. House Joint Resolution 7, effective July 23, 2025, directed the Delaware Artificial Intelligence Commission and Secretary of State to design a regulatory sandbox for agentic AI, aiming to make autonomous commerce visible, traceable and accountable.

Secretary of State Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez and Norm Ai founder John Nay unveiled the Artificial Intelligence Company, or AIC, on July 13, 2026. The proposed entity could own assets, enter contracts, incur obligations and sue or be sued, while a single member would maintain adequate capital and an activity log. The draft has cleared a legislative subcommittee and could reach the General Assembly when it reconvenes in January 2027. Banking would be excluded, and the sandbox would sunset after 30 months.