WEALTH September 16, 2026 0 Comments

Unlocking AI’s Secret Playbook: What Machines Know About Trust That Humans Still Miss

Ever wonder if the swirling storm of AI fear—misinformation, job jitters, loss of control—is drowning out the quieter, kinder tale of how this tech marvel could actually lift us up? I get it, these worries are absolutely real, but here’s a curveball: AI might just be the tough-love coach brands desperately need to stop tiptoeing around the truth and start telling a story that holds water. Before AI barged in, brands had this delightful “wiggle room” called nuance—but let’s be honest, it was often just fancy speak for bending the truth. Now? AI doesn’t blink at contradictions; it calls out inconsistencies faster than a gossipy neighbor. So, the question is—can brands step up and embrace the triple crown of future success: consistency, clarity, and credibility? Because those three could make or break the trust that keeps customers coming back. Stick with me as we untangle how AI is not the villain, but the unexpected hero urging companies to finally walk the talk—whether they like it or not. LEARN MORE

There is so much fear about our AI future from misinformation, job insecurity and a loss of control that, at times, the beauty of how it makes our lives better often gets drowned out, writes Fiona Field.

Those fears are real, but I believe AI will ultimately be good for brands as it will force companies to change or risk fading into obscurity.

There is an upside in how the machines are ripping up the playbooks and delivering the hard truths. Before AI came along, brands had room for nuance.

And let’s be honest, nuance is a polite word for wriggle room. There can often be a gaping hole in what a brand says and what the consumer experiences.

As our reliance on AI grows, it will start to put a dent in the bottom line. I believe it comes down to three things: consistency, clarity and credibility.

Let’s look at consistency first. Before AI models became so pervasive, brands regularly used different messaging for different audiences. A classic case of this is how companies would take two different approaches for investor communications and then act quite differently in consumer-facing campaigns.

It is most notable around sustainability commitments. We have all heard multiple brands promising to be “net zero by 2040”, but for some, responding to investor calls and market pressures, the same company might end up scaling back its ESG spend or even dropping their commitments altogether.

Even with good intentions, a brand can no longer afford mixed messaging, as it will take a millisecond for the models to weed out the smallest inconsistency. I liken it to having a silent whistleblower at the ready, a whistleblower that doesn’t care for excuses and will largely deal in fact.

Our trusty Gemini, Claude or whatever you are having yourself, has no concept of audience segmentation; instead, it just reads everything as one continuous record. I was startled to learn from a recent podcast that there is now more AI traffic to websites than human traffic. It made me think of those dark, foreboding lyrics in the Leonard Cohen song “Everybody knows… that the dice is loaded”.

So, what’s a brand to do when there are pressures coming from all angles? I like the idea of quiet commitments, staying consistent so that all praise is properly earned. Public promises still matter, but only if companies can live up to them. That honesty will earn more respect and credibility, and it will hold up for the person as well as the machine.

The Air Canada story shows what happens when all three (consistency, clarity and credibility) collapse at once.

A few years ago, passenger Jake Moffatt asked Air Canada’s chatbot about bereavement fares after his grandmother passed away. The bot told him he could book at full price and claim the discount back within 90 days.

When he later filed for the refund, Air Canada said that bereavement fares had to be claimed before the flight, not after. The chatbot had simply made it up. Moffatt took a case, and Air Canada argued the chatbot was its own entity, separate from the airline. The airline lost.

What’s most interesting is that the same chatbot had given Moffatt a link to the correct bereavement policy in the same conversation window, yet the court still ruled that the false information was enough to win the claim. It’s a clear reminder that clarity and accountability now must hold up across every channel.

Fiona Field, founder of Seventh Wave

Not all of this is a threat. Brands can just as easily use AI as a force for good. Last Christmas, stuck in standstill traffic on the way into town, I got a message from the Uber I was sitting in, quietly asking if I was safe.

It had noticed the car hadn’t moved in a while and checked in, not to sell me anything, which for anyone who has tried to get out of a surge-priced fare is its own small miracle. That’s the same technology that got Air Canada into trouble, but instead it was used the other way round.

The lesson in all of this is straightforward: tell the truth, say it the same everywhere and earn the right to be trusted. Do that, and, like my trip into town, you might even win a little more brand trust. Once the foundation is solid, your brand is free to tell its own story.

Fiona Field is the founder of Seventh Wave, an independent consultancy for business leaders navigating change.