In 2025, less than half (48%) of U.S. employees said they trusted their senior leaders, and 40% reported distrust of their leaders and colleagues, signaling a broad erosion of workplace trust.
And when you add AI to the mix, things aren’t looking good. In a 2025 YouGov survey, only 5% of Americans say they trust AI. Meanwhile, in late 2025, McKinsey found that 78% of U.S. companies report using AI in at least one business function (up from 55% just a year earlier).
Put simply, we’re in an AI-accelerated trust recession.
BUILDING VULNERABILITY-BASED TRUST
Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, shares that vulnerability-based trust creates confidence among team members that their peers’ intentions are good and that there is no reason to be protective or careful around the group.
In practice, vulnerability-based trust is when you and I feel we can say something like “I don’t know” or “I made a mistake” and know we will still be treated with respect and not feel embarrassed or worse.
Here are three ways you can foster vulnerability-based trust with your team.
SHARE YOUR FAILURES
The quickest way to build trust is to go first: by sharing your own vulnerabilities, shortcomings, or failures. Trusted leaders quickly acknowledge when they need help and (equally importantly) acknowledge their mistakes; they don’t pretend they are all-knowing, and they don’t get defensive when asked a question or offered advice.
This matters because trust drops when leaders appear overly confident. According to Edelman’s 2025 Trust Barometer, trust in business leaders declined in the U.S., particularly when leaders were perceived as withholding information or overpromising on emerging technologies like AI.
In practice, this can look like saying, “I made the wrong call on this timeline,” or “I relied too heavily on that AI output without validating it.” In meetings, go first in naming what you would change.
BE TRANSPARENT
Transparency becomes critical when AI influences workflows. In PwC’s 2025 Global Workforce Hopes & Fears Survey, only 50% of employees said senior management does what it says it will do. That gap widens when employees don’t understand the reasoning behind decisions.
For example, when a team hears, “We’re implementing AI to improve efficiency,” they may interpret that as “We’re preparing for layoffs.” To reduce speculation and increase trust, clarify both the outcome and intention. For instance, if you’re introducing AI tools to the workflow, you can clarify, “We’re introducing this tool to reduce admin work by 20% and not to reduce headcount. Here’s how success will be measured.”
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BIASES
Bias erodes trust faster than almost anything else. Employees are significantly less likely to trust leaders when they perceive decisions as unfair or inconsistent, even if the outcomes are objectively neutral.
In an AI context, this matters even more. If a team member questions an AI initiative, it’s easy to label them “anti-technology” or “resistant to change.” But that assumption can erode trust faster than the technology itself. Instead, pause and ask: “What concerns are you hearing from others?” and “What risk do you see that I may not be seeing?”
While AI is accelerating at machine speed, trust moves at human speed. If you want your AI strategy to succeed, start by making your leadership more vulnerable, transparent, and fair than ever before.