{"id":18708,"date":"2025-07-21T02:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T06:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/?p=18708"},"modified":"2025-07-02T15:51:47","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T19:51:47","slug":"trust-in-the-ai-rollout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learningguild.com\/articles\/trust-in-the-ai-rollout","title":{"rendered":"Trust in the AI Rollout"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/a>By Megan Torrance and Lauren Milstid<\/strong><\/p>

Advertise Here<\/a><\/div>\"Earn<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Visit the website of any major technology consultancy firm and search for \u201ctrust in AI.\u201d You’ll get articles full of essential and valid topics, such as explainability, security, data privacy<\/a>, reliability. These are the cornerstones of technical trust, and they’re critically important. We want to know the AI models are sound, the data is safe, and the output isn’t unintentionally biased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there’s a big hole in that conversation\u2014and it’s a human-sized one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As learning & development (L&D) professionals, we often sit in the space between systems and people. And while IT teams can (and should) build systems that are secure and stable, they can’t do the human work of trust-building for us. That part’s on us and our colleagues in HR, Org Dev, and change management<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when our organizations start rolling out AI-enabled tools, it’s not enough to check the box on governance and hope the humans will catch up. If we want AI adoption to stick, we must think about how people experience trust and how we help leaders show up in trustworthy ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because if there’s one thing we know from decades in L&D, it’s this: People don’t trust what they don’t understand, don’t feel connected to, or don’t feel safe questioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why trust feels so fragile in the AI era<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AI is moving fast<\/a>, faster than many people are comfortable with. And while the promise of increased efficiency, personalization, and insight is real, the fear is real too: Fear of being replaced. Fear of being surveilled. Fear that decisions are being made behind closed doors without understanding or input.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of this puts trust on shaky ground. And once trust is lost, it’s tough to get back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As our organizations launch into AI initiatives, including chatbots, analytics, workflow automation, and skill-mapping tools, we need a human trust strategy alongside the technology rollout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That starts with understanding how trust works on the people side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trust triangle: Three legs we can’t skip<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei’s Trust Triangle<\/a> gives us a simple, powerful framework for understanding what makes people trust others, especially leaders in moments of change. It’s like a three-legged stool: strong when all parts are solid, and wobbly when any one of them is weak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three components?<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n\n\n
  1. Empathy<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Logic<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Authenticity<\/li>\n\n\n<\/ol>\n\n\n

    Let’s look at how each one plays out in the context of AI\u2014and how we, as L&D professionals, can help leaders and teams strengthen their foundation of trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Empathy: Show that you see me<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    This is the one most leaders do feel but don’t always know how to express. It’s the sense that \u201cyou get me.\u201d It’s the feeling that you understand what I’m going through, what I’m afraid of, and what I hope for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As AI reshapes jobs and workflows, people want to know:<\/p>\n\n\n\n