#440 - Identiverse 2026 - Mike Kiser

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'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. Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-kiser/ Connect with us on LinkedIn: Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/ Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/ Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.com 00:00 Introduction from Identiverse 2026 01:00 Mike previews his two Identiverse talks 01:35 What C2PA is and how chain of custody works 06:51 Watermarks versus C2PA explained 10:06 Why content provenance matters for identity 14:22 Is C2PA a standard or a working group 16:23 The SpaceX and space debris analogy for agent intent 20:13 Governing agent publishing without stifling innovation 22:00 Action Identification Theory and the how versus the why 27:47 Can an AI actually have intent 32:34 Why people humanize and fall in love with chatbots 38:37 The case for locking down intent early 39:39 Does intent change, or is it a new intent 46:19 Favorite hallway conversations at Identiverse 51:03 Wrap up and where to find Mike 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