{
  "answer": "A principal is the entity whose authority or interests are represented; an agent acts under its own or delegated authority. One Machine Intelligence can be both in different relationships. The distinction matters because an action by an agent must be traced to the mandate, scope, time, revocation state and accountable principal rather than attributed by interface appearance alone.",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://xn--mwe.com/questions/difference-between-principal-and-agent/",
  "claimStatus": "RESEARCH FINDING",
  "correctionStatus": "CURRENT K05 RELEASE",
  "id": "K01-ANSWER-035",
  "lastReviewed": "2026-08-16",
  "question": "What is the difference between a principal and an agent?",
  "releaseId": "K12-2026-08-16",
  "researchCutoff": "2026-08-16",
  "shortAnswer": "A principal is the entity whose authority or interests are represented; an agent acts under its own or delegated authority. One Machine Intelligence can be both in different relationships. The distinction matters because an action by an agent must be traced to the mandate, scope, time, revocation state and accountable principal rather than attributed by interface appearance alone.",
  "slug": "difference-between-principal-and-agent",
  "sourceRevalidatedAt": "2026-08-15T23:00:00Z",
  "status": "RESEARCH FINDING",
  "topic": "agency-autonomy",
  "type": "Question"
}