How AI Affects Trust and Safety

𝟔𝟔% 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐈 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧. What does that tell us? Trust isn’t just a feature - it’s the foundation of AI’s future. When breaches happen, the cost isn’t measured in fines or headlines alone - it’s measured in lost trust. I recently spoke with a healthcare executive who shared a haunting story: after a data breach, patients stopped using their app - not because they didn’t need the service, but because they no longer felt safe. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞’𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 - 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝. Consider the October 2023 incident at 23andMe: unauthorized access exposed the genetic and personal information of 6.9 million users. Imagine seeing your most private data compromised. At Deloitte, we’ve helped organizations turn privacy challenges into opportunities by embedding trust into their AI strategies. For example, we recently partnered with a global financial institution to design a privacy-by-design framework that not only met regulatory requirements but also restored customer confidence. The result? A 15% increase in customer engagement within six months. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭? ✔️ 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: Privacy isn’t just about compliance. It’s about empowering customers to own their data. When people feel in control, they trust more. ✔️ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐲: AI can do more than process data, it can safeguard it. Predictive privacy models can spot risks before they become problems, demonstrating your commitment to trust and innovation. ✔️ 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐬, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: Collaborate with peers, regulators, and even competitors to set new privacy standards. Customers notice when you lead the charge for their protection. ✔️ 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐲: Techniques like differential privacy ensure sensitive data remains safe while enabling innovation. Your customers shouldn’t have to trade their privacy for progress. Trust is fragile, but it’s also resilient when leaders take responsibility. AI without trust isn’t just limited - it’s destined to fail. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 👇 #AI #DataPrivacy #Leadership #CustomerTrust #Ethics

If AI won’t take your job, it may take your team’s psychological safety. A recent HBR article by Jayshree Seth and Amy C. Edmondson highlights that adding AI to teams can undermine trust, coordination, and communication if leaders are not deliberate. The research shows that when AI becomes a “teammate,” human teams often struggle more - not less as we assume. - Coordination breaks down. - Mutual understanding weakens. - People put in less effort, assume someone or something else will take responsibility, and speak up less. This matters because effective teamwork has never been only about task execution. It depends on fluid, adaptive collaboration and on people anticipating each other’s needs, adjusting their behavior in real time, and building shared understanding through everyday interaction. AI disrupts this process: 1. AI does not read context. 2. AI does not sense hesitation, tension, or uncertainty. 3. AI does not adapt its communication style to team dynamics. 4. AI does not participate in the informal, human moments where trust and psychological safety are built. What I want you to realize is this: 👉Psychological safety does not automatically survive the introduction of AI. Leaders cannot outsource trust and teamwork to technology. So, the current leadership question is no longer whether to use AI, but: How do we redesign teamwork so that humans still feel safe to think, question, and learn together when AI is in the room? That is where the future of effective teams will be decided. P.S.: what are your thought on that? Do your think organizations even realize this potential challenge?

Trust in health AI isn't just about technology.  There are more complex factors that need to align. Without trust, we will never fully benefit from Health AI tools. The many factors interconnect and make up a complex system, impacting the trust. From the foundations to AI system attributes.  To human factors, context and the societal impact. Trust is not built on a single factor but is a combination of technical, human, and contextual elements. We can’t leave out one part of expect the others to function. And we need to consider all of these if we want AI in healthcare to be adopted. For organizations that are looking into implementing AI, here is what you need to do. As a foundation for getting AI-ready, the data readiness needs to be evaluated. Data quality Data accuracy Data interoperability When deciding where to use AI, consider AI as a partner, not a replacement of people. Invest in tools that provide human oversight and collaboration between humans and AI Choose tools that are explainable. For higher transparency Essential for ethical and accountable AI use Protect patient data Ensuring data privacy and security Without this, the tools won’t be trusted By healthcare professionals or patients Develop and implement ethical guidelines For responsible use of AI Addressing bias, privacy, and potential workforce displacement Work towards a future where AI improves healthcare Where healthcare professionals and patients benefit from the tools Because if we don’t have that, healthcare will not trust AI.  And that will not just impact the short-term adoption.  It will have long-term implications. What steps are you taking to improve trust in AI in your organization?

We are entering a world where AI agents are no longer just tools. They are autonomous actors interacting with other agents, invoking systems, making decisions, and influencing real outcomes without human supervision. But this raises a fundamental question that most organizations are not yet asking: how do these agents decide what and who to trust. In our latest article, we explore how trust becomes the invisible infrastructure that enables autonomous ecosystems to function, and why cybercriminals will inevitably target trust itself as the primary attack surface. As agent ecosystems grow, identity alone will not be sufficient. Trust must become continuous, measurable, and actively governed. Blockchain showed us that machines can establish trust through verification rather than assumption. The next frontier is applying those principles to autonomous AI agents through Zero Trust, continuous verification, and the emergence of AI Trust Brokers. Trust is no longer just a human concept. It becomes the new security control plane that will define how autonomous systems operate safely at scale. The question is no longer whether agents will make decisions independently. They already are. The real question is whether we will build the mechanisms to ensure those decisions remain trustworthy. #AI #Cybersecurity #AgenticAI #ZeroTrust #CyberRiskOps #Trust #ArtificialIntelligence #CyberRisk #SecurityArchitecture #AIZeroTrust #AITrustBroker #AITrust

🗣️ In my new STAT op-ed as a Public Voices Fellow on technology in the public interest with The OpEd Project supported by MacArthur Foundation, I examine how the AI industry's push into the health care sector is deepening a trust crisis: https://lnkd.in/eiZzPq74 ⬇️ The pandemic response was associated with a steep 30-point decline in trust in U.S. health care providers and hospitals. That erosion is continuing as health systems move quickly to adopt AI tools that remain largely untested in real-world clinical settings and with little to no input from patients and communities. 🫀 This moment builds on longstanding mistrust rooted in medical and systemic racism experienced by Black communities and other communities of color. 👩🏿⚕️ Even at the clinical level, the effects are already visible. A LinkedIn colleague who is a physician recently shared that the use of ambient AI during patient visits led some individuals to hesitate before disclosing sensitive information. When patients can't share important information with their health care providers, that carries consequences for care, communication, and outcomes. 🗣️ In the op-ed, I call on health systems to move at the speed of trust, a concept advanced by adrienne maree brown, rather than the speed of investment. 🌱 This approach centers community in decisions about whether, when, and how AI is integrated into care. Trustworthiness is cultivated through participation, transparency, and accountability. RWJF Ford Foundation Doris Duke Foundation Lumina Foundation Kapor Foundation Mellon Foundation Omidyar Network The David and Lucile Packard Foundation Siegel Family Endowment