How to Increase Trust in Technology

Does the technology industry have a trust problem? My answer to this question would be ‘JEIN’, which means Yes and No in German. It depends. And anyway, trust in whom? In technology itself or the people who design, operate, promote and use it?

We use GPS, Netflix, Spotify and check forecasts. Concurrently, we worry about excessive monitoring, data privacy, AI biases and cyber security. We blindly trust and we strongly distrust.

And then we ask whether tech is good or bad. This question immediately addresses the level of emotions. I do not think this is the right question to ask, not only because technology itself is neutral but because the question polarizes, which is a difficult starting point for constructive debate.

Technology amplify human behavior - the good, the bad and the ugly. So, the topic is more about how we shape it. Technology and human beings are intertwined. But it starts and ends with people.

The discussion is like a spicy stew: a complex mix of many ingredients, flavored with emotions. Logic and rational meets affective and emotional. This makes the topic even more challenging.

There are trust boosters and trust vampires:

Trust boosters: Undoubtedly, tech has predominantly changed the world for the good of humanity and will continue to do so: from healthcare and environmental sustainability to urban mobility to job safety to public welfare. But how do we ensure that these transformations are really for the better in the long-term?

Trust vampires: Mistrust is rooted in fear. There are different types of fear that need to be mitigated so that trust can flourish. Some are related to the technology itself (fear of AI failure), some to the people behind it (fear of workplace uncertainty) and some to their mix (fear of misuse).

1.  Fear of AI Failure

• When the feeling is that the algorithm is not near-perfect, we prefer worse-performing decision making methods, such as human judgement.
• Although algorithm-based forecasters outperform humans in almost all domains, errors appear much more pronounced in the rare occasions they occur.
• Mistrust increases when it comes to life-or-death matters that involve moral decisions – when stakes are higher, e.g., in health care or with self-driving cars. A mistake made by a language bot (e.g. a pencil is heavier than a toaster) can be funny. What if a minor mistake happens in a critical surgery?

SOLUTION APPROACHES

• Beliefs about the technology are fundamental determinants.
• Familiarity & experience increase trust in and use of technology. What helps is to tell about past experiences and show that the technology works. What also helps build trust is to outline the scope of consequences and to make a task seem more objective. Assuring proper training to accelerate and deepen tech understanding is also key.
• Objective tasks are associated with more cognitive abilities (data analysis, giving direction using GPS). They are entrusted significantly more than those associated with emotional abilities (hiring employees algorithm or match making platforms). Statistics and quantification help.
• The belief that people and processes surrounding the technology (e.g., developers, operators, leaders) are trustworthy. Ingredients of trustworthiness are benevolence, ability, and integrity.

2.  Fear of Misuse

• Topics include discrimination and data privacy; control and accountability.
• The rise of an artificial “super intelligence” which outperforms humans’ abilities in every relevant aspect, and which may not have humanity’s best interests, speaks to the failing expectations in big tech.
• AI is prone to replicate and perpetuate biases humans feed into it. How can morality be instilled? Is there a universally accepted ethical system? Whose values do we use? And even if machines get instilled with clear, globally accepted values, they cannot feel the consequences on an emotional level like we do, which makes them faulty ethical actors. Cultural differences also play a role in this.
• Who is responsible? Who is liable? Who defines the laws and who enforces them?

SOLUTION APPROACHES

• There is a need for regulation by governments (collective rights), e.g. GDPR. Since tech and work are global, but jurisdictions are national, we need collective action, e.g. as EU.
• Organizations need to support wider ESD (ethical, social, diversity) goals, have high ethical standards, respect privacy and ensure that people’s personal data is protected. They need to create and nurture the right organizational culture to encourage all of this and more. Organizations question how they could be trusted but they need to show trustworthiness. Policy frameworks that provide the foundation for technologies that do good and protect from harm demand robust public-private engagement. Collaboration is the key.

It is governments’ and organizations’ responsibility to ensure products and processes are used with a sense of morality and purpose. Those that get this right will automatically appeal to today’s workforce and customers. A responsible approach builds trust and drives inclusive growth.

Consequently, there is a need for a framework that helps deal with issues or dilemmas. It could be called ‘the corporate governance of new technologies’ – a smart regulatory framework that ensures benefits, reaches the majority and is not limited to a minority and/or discriminates some.

3.  FEAR of Workplace Uncertainty

• Tech is changing business models, employment models, and customer models.
• The fear of the unknown, of becoming useless and of getting replaced, is prevalent.

SOLUTION APPROACHES

• My optimism on jobs rests in history. We have jobs today we never thought would exist.
• But the fear is real and needs to be taken seriously. Often, against the common belief, people are not stuck in their heads (explain rationally why change is needed) but in their stomachs and their heart (fear of loss of job, identity, control, self-worth).
• The challenge does not lie in change itself but in successfully leading people through the transition phase. Change itself focuses on the external (expected new structure, strategy or principles). Transition focuses on the internal (a psychological realignment or adjustment that employees need to undergo before change can be successful).
• The issue is about unlocking the potential of humans and complementing their skillset, not replacing them. 

People might become resistant to change and establish defense mechanisms because of one emotion that gets priority: fear (of loss). Fear aids survival so it comes first. Leaders need to develop the ability to identify these losses and possible behaviors that come with them.

Fear can inhibit but it can also motivate. When fear paralyses actions, it is hindering or even harmful. But when faced, embraced, and even overcome, it can entail numerous benefits such as heightened awareness and increased focus; new insights and opportunities; better preparation; removal of barriers and breaking of routines; activation of ‘can do’ mentality and after-strength feeling; ability to replicate such breakthroughs; and lastly, helping others conquer theirs.

“F-E-A-R: has two meanings: Forget Everything And Run or Face Everything And Rise. The choice is yours.” — Zig Ziglar

With fear underlying each aspect, it is not enough to increase trust in just one aspect. All of these aspects need to be addressed.

Call for Leadership – Responsible Leadership

The responsibility of building trust lies with those who regulate, develop, operate, promote and use tech to protect the consumer from his/her own behavior and action. We need to include all stakeholders. Here is where leadership comes in.

It starts with asking the right questions:

• What problems are to solve? How to use AI? How to make sure the right tech is in place?
• How to deal with people-related challenges? And how to avoid ethical pitfalls?
• Who controls? Who is responsible when something goes wrong? Who is liable? Who enforces? What laws and regulations are needed? Whom to include: Individuals, organizations, governments, collectives?
• How can we meet the quadruple bottom line: people, profit, planet, me? Balancing functionality, purpose and profit is fundamental. Do good and do well is possible but it includes a tradeoff between utility and privacy between profit and purpose.

At the end of the day, there is always a human strategy, enabled by digital technology.

People continue to remain the most important assets for any business which increasingly calls for specific leadership skills – human leadership skills: being visionary but with a purpose, adaptable, able to inspire and exhibiting a high EQ.

When do we trust humans and machines? When they operate reliably and predictably.

Hence, the key question to ask – always – is: where is trust lacking and why? How can it be restored? But also: how can it proactively be granted and nurtured?

The solution or alignment comes down to the collaboration between government, industries, large organizations (big tech) and small organizations (they enjoy higher trust) to create the products and solutions that are not only beneficial to one stakeholder but to society as a whole. Leadership responsibility lies with all stakeholders, not only because in some countries, governments and/or big corporates are trusted more than in others, but also because matters are too complex to be solved by any one party.

Conclusion

We cannot deny the transformational power of these developments and the major adjustment our society will have to make. Building trust in tech will require a substantial effort to instill a sense of morality, to build full transparency and to provide insights about the opportunities it can entail for businesses and customers. And this effort must be a collaborative one across scientific disciplines, across roles, across experience levels and management, within and across academia, industries and government to meet the challenge and ultimately build trust among consumers.

I wrote a book about derailment. I like the train metaphor: The train has left the station, and there’s no going back. However, it hasn’t gone all that far yet. And it’s not yet out of control. Rather, we are at the stage of the trip where we can still, to a large extent, choose the route we take and shape its destination. Assuming, however, that we first realize and acknowledge that we ARE on the train.

In short, we have a window of opportunity to shape tech for good. We should do both good engineering and engineering for good. Any successful transformation strategy is – at its heart – a human strategy. Technology alone does not and cannot transform organizations. People do.

2023 is a pivotal year. Emerging tech’s impact on our lives is becoming increasingly profound. Building trust takes patience and persistence. Taking history as a guide, building trust cannot take place when problems are ignored or even hidden. Constructive criticism and discussions must be an ongoing part of the process. Trust requires us to take a transparent look at and address the real issues now.

(Whilst the image is derived from ChatGPT, the article is self-written)

Two-time Amazon bestselling business book author, Isabelle Nüssli, is an international senior executive with experience in business leadership, governance, succession planning and the tech-based private equity, venture capital, start-up & scale-up scene. Isabelle is a partner at H.I.E.C, a global executive search firm with particular focus on transformational leadership. Isabelle holds master’s degrees from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, INSEAD, and the University of St.Gallen.