Trust Engines
How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Human Reliance
by Jerome Baxter
non-fiction
AI isn't just changing what we can do—it's changing who and what we trust. This book explores the hidden power dynamics of our new reliance.
About this book
Every day, we hand over more of our decisions to artificial intelligence—what to read, who to date, which medical tests to get, how to respond to an email. But trust is not a technical feature; it is a fragile human bond. As AI becomes a confidant, a health advisor, and even a government's tool for shutdown, we are witnessing a quiet revolution in how trust is built, broken, and monetized.
Trust Engines argues that AI is not simply a new tool we use, but a new kind of partner in our most intimate choices. Drawing on recent events—from AI voice assistants that schedule our meetings to systems that decide when to dial back our digital freedoms—the book reveals the hidden mechanics of this transformation. It shows how companies are designing 'trust engines' that perform trust on our behalf, and why this matters for everything from personal well-being to democratic accountability.
The book takes readers inside real-world examples: a hospital where patients share their deepest fears with a chatbot, a corporate boardroom where an AI mediates negotiations, a government lab developing a kill switch for rogue systems. Through these stories and the insights of engineers, psychologists, and policymakers, it unpacks the surprising ways AI is altering our expectations of each other. It asks hard questions: Can we trust an algorithm to be honest? Should we let AI make decisions that affect our health, our finances, our freedoms? What happens when the machine says 'sorry'?
Reader Reviews
Michelle Martinez
★★★★★I really appreciated the deep dive into how AI like Nurse Joy quietly shapes our trust—Eleanor's story hit close to home. The book is sharp and well-researched, but I found a few sections (especially the corporate boardroom chapter) a bit too dense with jargon for a general reader. Still, it's a thought-provoking read that made me check my own phone settings twice.
Nancy Martinez
★★★★★This is the book I didn't know I needed. From Eleanor's invisible handshake to the government's kill switch, every story felt urgent and deeply human. The way it unpacks trust as a 'functional resource' changed how I see every chatbot, health app, and even my email autocomplete. Brilliant, accessible, and unsettling in the best way. Already recommending it to everyone.