Client Trust in a World of AI

Trust is a difficult thing to build and an easy thing to lose.

Have you thought about what it means to build trust in the world of AI?

I have. A lot lately 😅.

Here’s what happened: someone I know received a text message from a loved one that was obviously written with AI.

Obviously poor form. Yuck.

It led me down a path of considering what kind of relationship clients have with businesses that use AI, when it should be used, when it should not be used (to avoid the “yuck”).

This is an important conversation for business owners and operators. The stakes are high. If you lose your clients’ trust, you’re going to lose their business.

I use AI. More than most. I’m experimenting daily, bringing it into parts of our workflows at Surefaze, and using it where it can save time.

But it’s got to be used the right way.

A Quick Test to Maintain Trust

Humans are awesome.

If your clients expect a human behind something (a video, an email, a message, a phone call) they should probably get a human.

Have you ever believed you were talking with a human, reading something from a human, or listening to a human only to have your understanding obliterated at a realization that it was actually AI behind the curtain?

Trust was broken there, and I bet it left a bad taste in your mouth.

Don’t break trust!

Don’t let your employees break trust either by sending AI written email responses to vendors, clients, other employees.

Here’s a quick test I’ll leave you with. Something to help you decide if using AI is right for the circumstance at hand. It’s proven helpful for myself and those I’ve shared it with.

“Would I be embarrassed if everyone learned I used AI to do this thing?”

If the answer is yes, then make it yourself. The humans on the other end will appreciate it, and trust will be built, not destroyed.

What do you think? If your business is wrestling with where AI fits and where it doesn’t, . I’d genuinely love to hear where you’re landing on this.

Key Takeaways

• The stakes are high: businesses need to keep their clients’ trust
• If clients expect a human, then it should be a human… otherwise they’ll feel deceived
• Ask yourself if you’d be embarrassed if they found out you used AI for each situation
• If the answer’s “yes,” then make it yourself. If “no,” then feel free to use AI!