Brand A.I. is having an uncertain month.
Yes, A.I. has become a brand, although there seem to be discrepancies about just what Brand A.I.’s brand purpose and brand promise are. Current Brand A.I. debates have cast uncertainty over our collective future and human health. In some ways, it’s reminiscent of Brand Smoking.
Smoking became a brand on January 11, 1964, when Surgeon General Luther L. Terry released The 1964 Report on Smoking and Health. The report jump-started regulations around the sale and marketing of cigarettes, including the eventual end of television advertising, warning labels, restrictions on smoking in public places, and age restrictions on cigarette purchases. Brand Smoking developed a negative purpose and promise: health issues, addiction, secondhand smoke effects, and potential death. This was quite different from its early days, when Brand Smoking was sexy, relaxing, and a sign of independence. Even doctors smoked, according to Camel cigarette advertising.
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After reviewing recent A.I. stories, what stands out is the apparent lack of trust in Brand A.I. and the possible lack of trust in A.I.’s messengers, who cannot agree. Until Brand A.I. builds trust, it will not have a chance of achieving its glorious visions.
The Wall Street Journal writes that Meta already has a trust issue. Meta’s newly released A.I. agent, Muse, requires users to entrust it with access to important parts of their digital lives. The Wall Street Journal cites an Oppenheimer & Co. survey of U.S. consumers showing that only 8% would trust Meta with their passwords, less than a third of the number who would trust Google.
Meta has had safety and privacy issues in the past. During many of these crises, Meta users did not seem to care much about the safety issues. But times have changed. Some of those who did not care about Meta safety breaches now have children of their own.
The issues surrounding OpenAI, Anthropic, and the contradictory sides of the Brand A.I. discussion are now framed as potential threats to humanity. Many articles use the word “threat” in their headlines and ledes. Can we trust a threatening brand? Can we trust a brand that may be hazardous to our health? Can we trust a brand that exhibits “concerning behaviors,” as OpenAI itself has acknowledged?
Trust is the foundation of brand strength.
Trust is the lifeblood of brands. Trust derives from an Old Norse word, traust, meaning confidence. Sustainable trust means building enduring brand confidence.
From its very origins, a trademark was inherently a sign of quality that you could trust. But trademark and brand are not the same thing. A trademark identifies the source of the promise, the source of the trust. A brand is more than a trademark. A brand is a trusted promise of a relevant and differentiated experience.
Brand A.I. must become a Trustmark. The CEOs of Brand A.I. enterprises must focus, alongside all the other issues they face, on becoming a Trustmark. For sustainable, profitable brand growth, Brand A.I. leaders must create, nurture, develop, and strengthen sustainable brand trust. Without trust, all else fails. Trust is a must.
Here are 7 Rules for Building Sustainable Trust.
1. Promise What You Intend To Deliver, And Deliver What You Promise
Do not overpromise. Trust is the conviction that a brand will consistently live up to expectations. Right now, Brand A.I. promises many things and delivers only some. Brand A.I. will not earn trust if it cannot consistently and reliably deliver on its promises. This is why getting the brand promise right matters.
The cancer cures have not materialized, but a mathematical problem and an ancient Roman game have been solved. Being told that some Brand A.I. promises may also harm human health is not a viable way to build trust. Promising an apocalypse from an alien rogue entity is anti-trust-building.
Brand Smoking took a huge hit in 1994 when the CEOs of major tobacco companies stood before a televised session of Congress and said under oath that they did not believe nicotine was addictive. Subsequent disclosures showed what the tobacco industry knew about nicotine and addiction. This intensified public distrust and helped create the environment that produced the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.
As Brand A.I. leaders debate or downplay harmful effects, Brand A.I. should take note. Brand A.I.’s challenge is inflating its brand promises while deflating its brand trust. Furthermore, if you promise everything, you promise nothing. Be specific.
2. Simplify
Brand A.I. understanding among the general public is lower than it should be for a force already affecting daily life. Apparently, even Congress has limited understanding of Brand A.I. This must be remedied if legislators are going to create and vote on regulations affecting it.
Apple made computing simple. The promise of simple-to-use technology builds trust. Simplicity can itself become a competitive advantage.
The duel between Anthropic and OpenAI is detrimental to simplicity. The Wall Street Journal describes the debate among Brand A.I. leaders as fierce and confusing. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has argued that A.I. has become increasingly complex. Complexity may be unavoidable. Confusion is not.
3. Be A Trusted Source Of Information
The challenge is to become a trustworthy source of information that is helpful, convenient, understandable and valuable to customers. People want information, but it must be information that is straightforward, accessible, timely and trustworthy.
For example, do we trust the Brand A.I. leaders who dispense information and make prognoses about the future? Do we believe Brand A.I. leadership is speaking on our behalf? Or are we listening to interested parties telling us what the future should be?
Trust requires credibility from the messenger as well as the message.
4. Educate Consumers
Information is important. Understanding how to use the information is critical. People like feeling competent. Competency breeds comfort. Do not just provide information; provide help in using the information.
Brand A.I. cannot expect widespread trust if ordinary people do not understand what it does, how it works, what it can do well, where it fails, and what happens to the information they provide. Education should be part of the Brand A.I. experience.
5. Be Open And Transparent
Being open and transparent is essential if Brand A.I. is to be seen as a trustworthy brand. Without openness, trust is blind. Brand transparency must be strategic.
Transparency requires truth. Truth and trust are not the same thing. Truth speaks, but trust is why people listen. Truth is a fact; trust is a feeling. Sustainable trust needs both truth and trustworthiness.
The New York Times has recently highlighted the issue of transparency surrounding A.I. companies, their governance, and what outsiders are actually able to know about what happens inside their laboratories. Its Editorial Board has also identified transparency as an important principle for A.I., including letting people know when they are interacting with A.I. and providing ways to identify and trace A.I.-generated material.
Brand A.I. cannot demand trust while resisting transparency.
6. Don’t Spectate, Collaborate
Working together works better. Collaboration is better than confrontation. Corporate unwillingness to discuss issues leads to consumer willingness to distrust.
Now is the time to collaborate, including with competitors. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, leaders of Brand A.I. are at odds over Brand A.I. The Wall Street Journal recently captured this divide with a headline contrasting Dario Amodei’s calls for caution with Jensen Huang’s desire to move faster. The story reflects the continuing debate between the accelerators and those much more concerned about A.I.’s risks.
Debate is healthy. But on issues involving public safety, transparency, and trust, Brand A.I. also needs evidence of cooperation.
Brand should strengthen competitive position, pricing power, and enterprise value. The Blake Project helps make that happen.
7. Be Responsive. Be Responsible.
Brand A.I. must not confuse or confound consumers by obscuring what this is doing to consumers and society long term. Be responsive to the needs of consumers, business, and the community. Be responsible in how Brand A.I. addresses these needs by ensuring it achieves the right results in the right way.
Creating and nurturing sustainable trust requires not only producing the right results, but producing them the right way. Is self-regulation the right way for the right results? Is Meta’s approach to safety producing the right results in the right way? What is the right way for dealing with “concerning behaviors”?
Brand A.I. suffers from TDI: Trust Deficit Syndrome. Brand A.I. must show it can respond responsibly to people’s concerns and remain profitable. Unlike brands such as L.L.Bean, which built a powerful reputation around standing behind its products, Brand A.I. has no comparable guarantee.
And there are many things we simply do not know. That uncertainty makes trust even more valuable.
Brands can compete on trust. Brand A.I. may eventually discover that trust is not merely a requirement for acceptance. It can also become a competitive advantage.
Sustainable trust is the foundation on which strong brands are built. Without trust, there is no brand value and, thus, no shareholder value. Without trust, Brand A.I.’s claims lack credibility.
As Edward R. Murrow, the broadcast journalist and war correspondent, said, “To be persuasive, you must be credible.”
Furthermore, with trust, you can withstand negative news.
The CEOs of Brand A.I. enterprises must focus, alongside all the other issues they face, on becoming a Trustmark. Trust is increasingly a CEO-level competitive advantage. For sustainable, profitable brand growth, Brand A.I. leaders must create, nurture, develop, and strengthen sustainable brand trust.
Building sustainable trust takes time. It takes effort. It takes commitment. Building sustainable trust will not happen overnight. But sustainable trust can be lost overnight.
Arthur Page, considered one of the fathers of corporate public relations, established principles at AT&T that still sound like good advice today: “Business in a democratic society begins with public permission and exists by public approval. Lose trust and nothing else matters.”
Brand A.I. is either wonderful or worrisome or both. The differing views on Brand A.I.’s purpose and promise send messages that breed distrust. The public has concerns and questions that Brand A.I. is not adequately addressing.
Anthropic is considering the public markets while operating in an unpredictable industry where many executives, including its own leader, warn of sizable risks. OpenAI still faces questions about growth, governance, safety, and the future. All of this makes trust more important, not less.
As concern over Brand A.I. grows, it is imperative that Brand A.I. leaders build sustainable trust. No matter how successful the enterprise, without people’s trust in Brand A.I., there will be no sustainable, profitable growth.
Contributed to Branding Strategy Insider by Joan Kiddon, Partner, The Blake Project, Author of The Paradox Planet: Creating Brand Experiences For The Age Of I
At The Blake Project, we help leaders turn brand into a disciplined driver of financial performance — strengthening pricing power, competitive position, and enterprise value. Email us to start a conversation about enduring profitable growth. For The EBITDA.
Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project, a strategic brand consultancy focused on turning brand into pricing power, growth, and enterprise value.
