Trust in the AI era:
The 2026 Digital Trust Index reveals what’s changing
Is your organization winning – or losing – the trust race?
The 2026 Digital Trust Index is here – one of the most comprehensive global studies on how trust is evolving across customers, employees, partners, and security leaders. Based on insights from over 15,500 users across 13 countries, one thing is clear:
Trust is under pressure. Add AI into the mix and it’s being stretched in entirely new ways.
Here’s what we found:
- Friction at login and sign-up is killing trust (and revenue)
- Security builds confidence, when it’s visible
- Only 16% of users understand how their data is used, creating skepticism
- AI adoption is rising fast, but trust isn’t keeping pace
- 77% are uneasy about AI acting on their behalf
The gap between what organizations deliver and what users expect has never been wider. Read the full report to see where trust is won – and lost – in 2026.
Conducted by
The 2026 Digital Trust Index shows that as AI adoption is accelerating, trust is struggling to keep pace. When AI simply helps people work faster, confidence is high. But when AI starts acting autonomously and making decisions or interacting with systems on a user’s behalf, people begin asking harder questions about security, control, and accountability.”
Key Findings
57% of consumers experienced website access issues in the past year.
45% of consumers prefer stronger security checks even if sign-ups are slower,
Only 22% value speed over security.
The Trust-Privacy GAP
66% trust companies with easy-to-manage privacy settings, but
Only 8% find them easy to use.
69% of consumers say MFA would increase company trust
68% say the same about passkeys.
When access feels too long or complex
33% of consumers switch to a competitor or give up
36% delay engagement or seek alternative channels.
Only 1 in 5 partners receive immediate system access, with poor provisioning undermining experiences.
73% of users face friction requesting access, hence
66% lose patience with partner systems.
30% of partner users fully understand their permissions, undermining operational confidence and system integrity.
89% of partner users have abandoned or delayed work tasks due to website issues and access friction.
