Re: Participation using AI in WG mailing lists and github repos

[Paul Kyzivat <[e-mail]>]

Rich,

On 6/9/26 4:00 PM, Salz, Rich wrote:
> 
> On 6/9/26, 3:54 PM, "Paul Kyzivat" 
> <pkyzivat=[e-mail]> wrote:
>   * Do we have a mechanism to associate a human identity  each entity that
>   * participates electronically?
> 
> Strictly speaking, all we have is an email address.

I think you are right.
Our processes are largely rooted in email. Email addresses, along with 
the associated display names and "signatures" are the major way that 
people are known.

We cope when people change email addresses over time. But AFAIK the 
mechanisms for tying those together into a single "identity" are ad hoc. 
(Slightly more formalized for authors.)

Those who attend face-to-face meetings meet actual persons, and can 
informally connect those to the email identities they know by relating 
spoken info to prior email content. You must register to attend a 
face-to-face meeting. You do that via email. Then you pick up your badge 
on the honor system. Those who attend remotely by video also identify 
via email address.

Now suppose somebody wants to use AI to game the system. Its easy to get 
an email address, and use it the sign up to some WG mailing lists. Then 
make up a human name, and perhaps an affiliation. Maybe also a LinkedIn 
account to provide some substance. Then an AI agent can start 
contributing to the list discussion. Perhaps sign up for remote 
attendance at meetings. Submit an individual draft, etc.

It seems like this will force us to formalize things that have worked 
fine informally for decades. But doing so is going to be difficult and 
annoying.

This seems very much like what has been going on in medicine with 
electronic medical records. (There are probably many lessons to learn 
there about how to do it wrong.)

	Thanks,
	Paul