The vital role trust will play in the AI-powered future of work

Trust—in leadership, society, and each other—is plummeting. But we may be poised for a shift in how we understand what it means to trust.

One of my earliest childhood memories is visiting my granddad’s clothes factory in the East End of London, happily sitting in the corner sorting out the boxes of different colored buttons. He knew all his employees and the details of their families’ lives. Trust was held together by the walls of the factory and face-to-face interactions. In many ways, trust in his workplace was simple: ordered, bounded, and structured.