In the Networked Economy, Every Company is in the Trust Business
You are probably aware that agentic AI is completing sophisticated work previously done by humans. But in a moment when AI can generate realistic images and video clips, convincing news summaries, and presentations with thoughtful analysis in seconds, two questions become front and center: what can we trust and whom can we trust?
That is because while the pace of technological change has made the information ecosystem faster and more powerful than ever, it has also made authenticity harder to verify.
As New York Times columnist and CNBC host Andrew Ross Sorkin has argued, we are all in the trust business. In today’s environment, every company — whether in technology, consumer goods, finance, law, manufacturing, or healthcare — operates in the trust economy.
Trust now functions as a core capital asset — shaping investor confidence, workforce strength, consumer engagement, and market access. And like any form of capital, it must be built deliberately and protected carefully. As part of its “Megatrends” series, EY recently opined how reframing trust allows firms to navigate change and unlock growth.
And even in the short two months since that World Economic Forum report, events have made clear that geopolitical tensions, economic shifts, and rapid technological change are no longer episodic disruptions to supply chains. They are constant features of the operating environment. Trade disputes, political polarization, and the accelerating pace of agentic AI only amplify this uncertainty.
AI systems make decisions at machine speed—in other words in seconds. Markets react instantly. But while the speed of operations has changed, accountability has not. AI systems act in seconds, and reputational damage travels instantly, but governance still relies on human accountability and oversight.
Leaders must build systems that create stability even when external conditions are unpredictable. And, the companies that succeed in this environment will be those with leaders who, as Sandra J. Sucher and David M. Bersoff recently wrote in Harvard Business Review, “can build stakeholder trust in uncertain times.”
For much of the last century, enforcement largely flowed from regulators downward. Today it is no longer top-down; enforcement is networked across consumers, employees, boards, investors, watchdogs, stakeholders, and policymakers. Companies that build transparent systems create stability when external environments are unpredictable.
Consumers (not just creators and influencers) now call out misinformation in real time on platforms. Voluntary and independent industry self-regulation programs, such as our own National Advertising Division and Children’s Advertising Review Unit, routinely issue case decisions that change business practices, addressing issues such as advertising claims substantiation and privacy practices, sometimes even joining forces such as in a recent ruling on baby monitor technologies.
And regulators are still paying close attention, though it is becoming more difficult to predict what will and what will not be subject to government scrutiny. One thing is certain: the Federal Trade Commission has intensified scrutiny of everything from deceptive online review practices to manipulative subscription interfaces to exaggerated claims about AI products.
Collectively, these signals point to a broader shift toward what might be called the trust economy, where credibility, even with networked enforcement, becomes a competitive advantage.
This is especially true during this age of deregulation, but history also offers many examples. One example is the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), with roots established in the 1930s, which works in tandem with the SEC and oversees brokerage firms and exchange markets, enforcing rules that promote market integrity and investor protection. Today’s longstanding divisions within our own organization, BBB National Programs, those who perform the respected work on advertising claim substantiation and responsible marketing to children, began in the 1970s as industry-driven initiatives designed to address consumer concerns before they escalated.
Today that leadership is extending into emerging areas such as creator accountability, responsible data stewardship, and AI transparency, particularly around agentic AI systems, which are now capable of making decisions that once required weeks of human deliberation, forcing us to ensure accountability in automated decisions while still enabling innovation.
That is why I raise a fundamental leadership question: What happens to accountability when decisions are made by algorithms?
The answer should be clear: speed does not eliminate responsibility. If anything, it increases the need for transparency, fairness, and clear guardrails. The pace of technology demands an equal pace of trust. Agentic AI only heightens this, forcing us to ensure accountability in automated decisions while still enabling innovation. Lawmakers and regulators are beginning to grapple with these questions, but regulation alone cannot keep pace with the speed of technological change. Companies themselves must lead in establishing standards for transparency, fairness, and claim accountability. In an AI-driven marketplace, authenticity itself becomes essential.
In an economy where commerce moves across platforms, data flows globally, and technology evolves at unprecedented speed, modern markets require modern accountability systems. Rules built for a different era of business simply cannot keep up.
The question for CEOs today is simple: Are we waiting for rules to be written for us, or are we helping shape the standards that will define our industries?
Culture is moving quickly, expectations are rising, and the companies that lead, not react, will define the next decade of business.
Accountability is not a constraint on innovation. It is a condition for success. Because in today’s networked economy, every company is in the trust business.
Originally published in Forbes
That is because while the pace of technological change has made the information ecosystem faster and more powerful than ever, it has also made authenticity harder to verify.
As New York Times columnist and CNBC host Andrew Ross Sorkin has argued, we are all in the trust business. In today’s environment, every company — whether in technology, consumer goods, finance, law, manufacturing, or healthcare — operates in the trust economy.
Trust now functions as a core capital asset — shaping investor confidence, workforce strength, consumer engagement, and market access. And like any form of capital, it must be built deliberately and protected carefully. As part of its “Megatrends” series, EY recently opined how reframing trust allows firms to navigate change and unlock growth.
Stability in an Age of Structural Uncertainty
Today’s business and nonprofit leaders are operating in what economists increasingly describe as an era of “structural volatility.”And even in the short two months since that World Economic Forum report, events have made clear that geopolitical tensions, economic shifts, and rapid technological change are no longer episodic disruptions to supply chains. They are constant features of the operating environment. Trade disputes, political polarization, and the accelerating pace of agentic AI only amplify this uncertainty.
AI systems make decisions at machine speed—in other words in seconds. Markets react instantly. But while the speed of operations has changed, accountability has not. AI systems act in seconds, and reputational damage travels instantly, but governance still relies on human accountability and oversight.
Leaders must build systems that create stability even when external conditions are unpredictable. And, the companies that succeed in this environment will be those with leaders who, as Sandra J. Sucher and David M. Bersoff recently wrote in Harvard Business Review, “can build stakeholder trust in uncertain times.”
Accountability Is No Longer Top-Down; It Is Networked
Another fundamental shift is where accountability comes from.For much of the last century, enforcement largely flowed from regulators downward. Today it is no longer top-down; enforcement is networked across consumers, employees, boards, investors, watchdogs, stakeholders, and policymakers. Companies that build transparent systems create stability when external environments are unpredictable.
Consumers (not just creators and influencers) now call out misinformation in real time on platforms. Voluntary and independent industry self-regulation programs, such as our own National Advertising Division and Children’s Advertising Review Unit, routinely issue case decisions that change business practices, addressing issues such as advertising claims substantiation and privacy practices, sometimes even joining forces such as in a recent ruling on baby monitor technologies.
And regulators are still paying close attention, though it is becoming more difficult to predict what will and what will not be subject to government scrutiny. One thing is certain: the Federal Trade Commission has intensified scrutiny of everything from deceptive online review practices to manipulative subscription interfaces to exaggerated claims about AI products.
Collectively, these signals point to a broader shift toward what might be called the trust economy, where credibility, even with networked enforcement, becomes a competitive advantage.
Why Voluntary Standards Matter
One of the most effective ways industries respond to rising trust expectations is through voluntary standards and self-regulation. When industries establish credible standards early, they often shape the expectations that later become industry norms — and sometimes even regulatory frameworks.This is especially true during this age of deregulation, but history also offers many examples. One example is the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), with roots established in the 1930s, which works in tandem with the SEC and oversees brokerage firms and exchange markets, enforcing rules that promote market integrity and investor protection. Today’s longstanding divisions within our own organization, BBB National Programs, those who perform the respected work on advertising claim substantiation and responsible marketing to children, began in the 1970s as industry-driven initiatives designed to address consumer concerns before they escalated.
Today that leadership is extending into emerging areas such as creator accountability, responsible data stewardship, and AI transparency, particularly around agentic AI systems, which are now capable of making decisions that once required weeks of human deliberation, forcing us to ensure accountability in automated decisions while still enabling innovation.
That is why I raise a fundamental leadership question: What happens to accountability when decisions are made by algorithms?
The answer should be clear: speed does not eliminate responsibility. If anything, it increases the need for transparency, fairness, and clear guardrails. The pace of technology demands an equal pace of trust. Agentic AI only heightens this, forcing us to ensure accountability in automated decisions while still enabling innovation. Lawmakers and regulators are beginning to grapple with these questions, but regulation alone cannot keep pace with the speed of technological change. Companies themselves must lead in establishing standards for transparency, fairness, and claim accountability. In an AI-driven marketplace, authenticity itself becomes essential.
Leading, Not Waiting
History offers a simple lesson: when industries fail to establish responsible guardrails, regulators and enforcers eventually step in — often with far less flexibility. Meanwhile, voluntary standards allow industries to respond faster, close gaps earlier, and test solutions that policymakers can build upon.In an economy where commerce moves across platforms, data flows globally, and technology evolves at unprecedented speed, modern markets require modern accountability systems. Rules built for a different era of business simply cannot keep up.
The question for CEOs today is simple: Are we waiting for rules to be written for us, or are we helping shape the standards that will define our industries?
Culture is moving quickly, expectations are rising, and the companies that lead, not react, will define the next decade of business.
Accountability is not a constraint on innovation. It is a condition for success. Because in today’s networked economy, every company is in the trust business.
Originally published in Forbes