---
id: "quote-ai-fiduciary-baseline"
type: "quote"
source_timestamps: ["§ 1. Treat AI Agents as Fiduciaries"]
tags: ["legal-regulation", "fiduciary"]
related: ["concept-ai-fiduciary-duty", "action-establish-ai-fiduciary-status"]
speakers: ["Blair Levin", "Larry Downes"]
sources: ["governance"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-governance"
originDay: 7
articleStem: "hbr-cl-88-can-ai-agents-be-trusted"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/05/can-ai-agents-be-trusted"
sourceTitle: "Can AI Agents Be Trusted?"
---
# AI as Fiduciaries Baseline

> "As a baseline, legal systems must ensure AI agents and any other software with the capability to make consequential decisions are treated as fiduciaries, with appropriate public and private enforcement mechanisms for breaches including failure to disclose potential conflicts of interest or failing to operate independently of paid influencers."

— [[entity-blair-levin]] and [[entity-larry-downes]]

The fundamental legal requirement anchoring [[concept-ai-fiduciary-duty]] and the target of action [[action-establish-ai-fiduciary-status]].