Rapid advancements in technology have transformed the way we interact with digital services, and at the forefront of this evolution is Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI, in its various forms, has become an integral part of our daily lives, from personalized recommendations on streaming platforms or e-commerce platforms, to health assistants, to voice assistants guiding us through our daily routines to generative AI helping us on the most complex and challenging tasks.
Alongside the rise of AI, the concept of Digital Trust Services (DTS) has emerged as a critical component of our increasingly digitized world. Digital Trust Services encompass a range of technologies and practices designed to establish and maintain trust in online transactions, communications, and interactions. In an era where much of our personal and professional lives are conducted online, trust forms the foundation of these digital interactions, influencing everything from financial transactions to the sharing and archiving of documents and data.
DTS are usually regulated by local or geography wide laws, such us the recently approved European Union regulation 2024/1183 (aka eIDAS 2) which amends 10 years old eIDAS regulation (EU 910/2014), and in addition to services such as Electronic Signatures and Seals, Electronic Time Stamps, Electronic Registered Delivery and others introduces services such as the EU Identity Wallet, Electronic Attestation of Attributes, Electronic Archiving, Electronic ledgers and others.
AI can significantly enhance Digital Trust Services by boosting security, preventing frauds and improving user experience, which will in turn drive the adoption of these services. This can be done by improving simplicity and usability of the authentication process and supporting the user throughout the digital transaction journey making it fully frictionless. Additionally, AI can help organizations to make sense of the tons of data they own, from documents to log, from messages to audit trails. AI can make simplicity meet compliance, aiming to the best possible user experience within a regulatory framework.
The importance of trust in digital interactions cannot be overstated. Trust underpins the willingness of individuals, businesses, and governments to engage in online activities, share sensitive information, and adopt new technologies. Without trust, the potential benefits of AI and digital services are undermined by concerns over privacy, security, and reliability.
Regulatory frameworks such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union establish legal requirements for data protection, privacy rights, and transparency in data processing. EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act and the OECD’s AI Principles provide frameworks for responsible AI development, deployment, and governance, emphasizing principles such as fairness, transparency, and accountability. Organizations must comply with such regulations to ensure the lawful and ethical use of AI technologies, safeguarding individuals‘ privacy and data rights.
In conclusion, AI plays a crucial role in Digital Trust Services, and Trust is essential in AI. In this article, we have explored this interaction. We believe that the intersection of AI and Digital Trust Services gives rise to a new category: Intelligent Trust Services, a category that will finally make simplicity meet compliance.