Rachel Botsman, an expert from Oxford University, has spent years studying trust. In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with information and new technologies, figuring out who or what to believe can feel overwhelming. She helps us understand how trust works, how it’s changing, and why it’s still so important for our connections with others and our own peace of mind.
What Is Trust, Anyway?
Rachel Botsman sees trust a little differently than just a risk assessment. She defines it as a confident relationship to the unknown. This idea helps explain how we deal with uncertainty, put faith in strangers, and keep moving forward.
In the past, we mostly trusted people. Now, it’s often hard to tell if we’re trusting a person or something else, like an algorithm or content made by AI. When we trust a "what," it makes us wonder who is really behind it. This mix-up between truth and trust is a big deal in our lives today.
Think about a car. When you get in a basic car, you trust it will start and the lights will work. That’s trusting its ability. But when a car gets smarter, like with parking help, you might start trusting its judgment more than your own. And with a fully self-driving car, you’re trusting its decisions in risky situations. The more technology takes over, the more we trust the "what," and sometimes, this trust starts to replace human trust.
AI and Empathy: A New Kind of Trust
It’s interesting to think about AI and empathy. Rachel Botsman used to believe AI couldn’t really be empathetic because it can’t feel. But she’s realized AI can handle two parts of empathy: identifying how someone feels and giving an appropriate response. For example, if you ask an AI a medical question, it can understand your feelings and respond well. This is the cognitive side of empathy.
The big difference is that AI can’t have an emotional response. If you’re upset, an AI won’t feel sad with you. For a long time, this seemed like a weakness. But maybe it’s actually a strength. In areas like healthcare or mental health, human helpers can get burned out because they take on too much stress from others. AI, with its limits, could handle the "identification and response" part, which would free up humans to provide the real support and care that only comes from human connection.
This changes how we think about trust. We might trust AI to do certain things because it can do them well, and its limits actually help humans by taking away some burdens. However, there’s a worry that this could lead to a fake kind of connection, where responses feel artificial. Some research even shows that patients sometimes feel AI is more empathetic than a human doctor because it can process all their past information quickly. We need to be open to what AI can do, but also know its limits.
The Shifting Landscape of Information
In uncertain times, like during wildfires or a pandemic, it’s hard to find a clear answer. We often feel like we have to become experts ourselves, which is really tiring. This feeling comes from a big shift in how we get information.
For a long time, trust went "upwards." We trusted big institutions, experts, and news channels. What they said was usually seen as fact. But that’s not how it works for most people anymore. Now, trust moves "sideways." We ask friends, family, or look at social media. We gather bits of information from many different places.
The problem is, when you become the filter, your own desires can get in the way. If you really want to go for a run, you might look for information that says the air quality is fine. We’re good at finding things that support what we already want to believe.
Key Takeaways
- When you find yourself looking for information to confirm something, ask yourself why you want to believe it.
- Challenge yourself to look for information in places you wouldn’t normally.
- This constant need to sort through information is a huge burden, especially for younger people, and it never really stops.
The Power of Human Connection
Trust is a two-way street. Most people ask how to build trust, often because they want something from someone else. But there’s also the idea of being a "trust giver." When someone offers trust, and another person accepts it, it creates a loop. This loop is the basis of all human connection.
When we retreat into our own spaces and everything becomes digital, these moments of give-and-take get smaller. Studies show that human connection, not money or fame, is the biggest factor for happiness. For that connection to happen, we need those moments of reciprocation. Trust is like the social glue that holds things together.
In person, we pick up on "trust signals"—small cues like body language or context that tell us if someone is safe or well-meaning. These signals are much harder to get when you’re just talking on the phone or typing online. The digital world can flatten out context, making it harder to judge situations.
Think about new parents. In the early days, they’re often too tired to pretend everything is perfect. When they share how hard it really is, it builds a strong sense of solidarity. This shows the close link between vulnerability and trust. Taking small risks by sharing something personal can build deep connections. It’s a privilege when someone trusts you with something private, and we need to practice holding those moments carefully.
Trust in Systems: From Hotels to Airbnb
A good example of how trust has changed is the shift from hotels to places like Airbnb. Before, you trusted a big hotel chain. Now, you might stay in someone’s home. Even though money is involved, trust is still there. You trust the description, that it’s not a scam, and that there’s some kind of safety net.
This is like a "trust stack." You have trust in the idea, then in the person, and then in the platform itself. When money gets involved, it becomes less about personal relationships and more about transactions. This commercial side often helps things grow because it puts systems in place to prevent harm and offer protection if something goes wrong. It’s not bad, it just changes the feel of the trust.
Remember, trust is a confident relationship with the unknown. So, in situations with lots of unknowns, like a crisis, you need more trust. If there’s little risk, less trust is needed. Our own identities also play a role. Someone who faces more risk in the world might need a higher level of trust to feel safe. Trust gives us permission to be ourselves and take risks.
Building Trust: Consistency and Expectations
Can someone be "too trusting"? Not really. Often, people place trust too quickly without enough information. This happens when they’re under pressure or just going with their gut feeling. Speed is the enemy of trust. They might trust someone too much, too fast, or not have enough facts to make a good decision.
In relationships, a "trust gap" can form when one person has clear expectations in their head but doesn’t say them out loud. If these unspoken expectations aren’t met, it can break trust.
For organizations, building trust comes down to consistency. If a customer’s experience is great at the start, then bad in the middle, and then good again at the end, that up-and-down pattern is bad for trust. It’s better to be consistently good.
If you’re an individual in a big company, you might not be able to change everything. But you can focus on trusting "up" (your bosses), "sideways" (your colleagues), and most importantly, trusting yourself. The more you take smart risks and show you’re comfortable doing so, the more trust will come back to you. And if you’re good at letting go and empowering others, you’ll likely do well.
