Trust arrives on foot and leaves in a ferrari

I don’t know about you, but I’m more sceptical than ever right now.

We’re swimming in AI workslop, endless “thought leadership”, and copy that sounds like it was written by the same robot in a hurry. 

People can smell BS faster than ever - and they’re acting accordingly.

If brands want to survive this era, trust isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the currency.

The problem is, trust and transparency in AI use live in the shadows, between the governance policies trying to keep up and the end users just trying to get their jobs done. 

Common sense leaves the room, and finger pointing takes the stage.

That’s where leadership steps up - where the AI-daptive leader turns ethics into responsible use, not more red tape. 

It’s how you protect your reputation, your people, and your job.

Last weekend I put together all of my client notes and built a simple framework to make that easier.

Because the unsavory truth is: AI won’t get you fired.  But the way you use it might.

S.A.F.E.R.

S – Stay accountable
“The algorithm did it” won’t cut it. A major retailer learned that when its resume bot quietly filtered out women’s CVs. You can delegate the task, but not the responsibility. That stops with you.

A – Act consciously
Use AI with intention, not impulse. Just because it can write a report doesn’t mean it should. Ask yourself, “Would I put my name on this?” This one has hit the headlines A LOT. 

F – Fairness first
Every prompt teaches the system what “normal” looks like. Feed it bias, get bias back. Fairness is like hygiene - skip a day and everyone notices.

E – Explain what you’re using
Transparency builds credibility. If your team doesn’t know when AI’s involved, they can’t catch mistakes. Tell people what’s automated - it’s not weakness, it’s leadership.

R – Respect Data
Just because it’s online doesn’t mean it’s yours. Oversharing customer info with open tools is the fastest way to a reputational faceplant. Treat every dataset like it belongs to your mum.

If you can’t explain how you’re using AI, you can’t be trusted with it.

Next steps

Reputation and risk are leadership issues now, not just governance and I.T. ones. 

The smartest move you can make is helping your people understand how to use AI responsibly -  and avoid being a nasty case study.

1. Share this email and spark a conversation about the S.A.F.E.R. model in your next team meeting - awareness is your first line of defence.
2. Identify where your team’s vulnerable and start there. 
3. Sing out if you’d like me to help your leaders or teams understand ethical and responsible AI use in plain language and practical terms - so they can make smart, confident calls when it counts.