In traditional SaaS architectures identity is usually handled by separate layers (auth providers, middleware, RBAC checks in APIs). The problem is that when the system structure itself becomes mutable — entities, workflows, dashboards — those checks are no longer enough.
If an AI proposes structural changes, the runtime needs to reason about who is allowed to modify which parts of the semantic model.
So identity becomes part of the execution semantics of the system rather than just authentication.
Conceptually it looks closer to something like:
identity → permissions → allowed state transitions
instead of just:
identity → API access
This is also why the runtime primitives include things like entities, relations, transitions and permissions.
The runtime can then enforce invariants such as:
- which roles can evolve parts of the model - which workflows can trigger actions - which datasets a component can bind to
So the trust boundary ends up inside the runtime rather than in the surrounding services.
Still exploring the design space here, but it seems necessary once AI can propose structural mutations to the system.