#440 - Identiverse 2026 - Mike Kiser

<p>Recorded live at Identiverse 2026, Jeff and Jim sit down with returning guest Mike Kiser, Director of Strategy and Standards at SailPoint, for a wide-ranging conversation that spans two of the standards world&#39;s most active frontiers. The first half breaks down C2PA, the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, explaining how it differs from digital watermarking, how metadata and cryptographic signatures build a chain of custody for media, and why this work connects directly back to identity. The conversation then shifts to AI agents and the challenge of defining and governing intent, with Mike drawing an extended analogy to the early, under-regulated days of space exploration. The episode closes with reflections on the value of hallway conversations and community at Identiverse.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-kiser/</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Connect with us on LinkedIn:</p><p><br></p><p>Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/</p><p><br></p><p>Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/</p><p><br></p><p>Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.com</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>00:00 Introduction from Identiverse 2026</p><p>01:00 Mike previews his two Identiverse talks</p><p>01:35 What C2PA is and how chain of custody works</p><p>06:51 Watermarks versus C2PA explained</p><p>10:06 Why content provenance matters for identity</p><p>14:22 Is C2PA a standard or a working group</p><p>16:23 The SpaceX and space debris analogy for agent intent</p><p>20:13 Governing agent publishing without stifling innovation</p><p>22:00 Action Identification Theory and the how versus the why</p><p>27:47 Can an AI actually have intent</p><p>32:34 Why people humanize and fall in love with chatbots</p><p>38:37 The case for locking down intent early</p><p>39:39 Does intent change, or is it a new intent</p><p>46:19 Favorite hallway conversations at Identiverse</p><p>51:03 Wrap up and where to find Mike</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>IDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, Mike Kiser, SailPoint, C2PA, Content Provenance and Authenticity, Identiverse 2026, Shared Signals Framework, AI Agents, Agentic Identity, Digital Watermarking, Decentralized Identity Foundation, Intent-Based Access Control</p><p><br></p>