Policy Brief: The evolving role of trust in AI-Mediated Societies

Trust in democratic institutions is being fundamentally redefined as Artificial Intelligence increasingly mediates information exchange and influences decision-making processes. The KT4D project examines how artificial intelligence affects trust at multiple levels: between citizens and institutions, across different cultural contexts, and within organisations where Artificial Intelligence is deployed without clear standards. The policy brief presents eight recommendations grouped across institutional, organisational, educational, and governance dimensions. At the institutional level, public bodies should ensure traceability and authenticity of information through authenticated digital signatures and origin labels. Organisations deploying AI systems must establish and communicate shared rules for AI use to keep interpersonal and institutional trust. Educational recommendations emphasise contextualised critical digital literacy programmes that reflect local languages, social norms, and cultural values. Governance recommendations call for AI frameworks responsive to intercultural differences, mandatory human oversight for critical decisionmaking systems, epistemic responsibility in online knowledge dissemination, infrastructural approaches to democratic AI governance, and sufficient enforcement capacities for current regulation. The central policy challenge is that while the European Union has addressed the effects of artificial intelligence through regulations, the focus has recently shifted toward innovation and deregulation. This creates tension between upholding democratic processes and promoting the rapid deployment of artificial intelligence, as this advanced knowledge technology can indirectly disrupt democracy in ways that static risk categories fail to capture.