It’s never been more important to design intelligent products for emotional trust.

Consumers are being asked to allow smart digital products, such as voice assistants, to manage more and more of their lives. But trust is complicated and therefore difficult to design for. As products become smarter, your design team needs to learn how to build not only functional trust but emotional trust.

Address AI skepticism with transparency

People don’t trust AI. This fact is rooted in a combination of misconceptions about the technology and a lack of transparency from companies regarding how they use personal data. Many users feel they’re too often kept in the dark about what AI-powered products are doing behind the scenes and seemingly too-frequent data breaches and PII abuses have only intensified these concerns.

Although AI offers benefits, from streamlining everyday tasks to offering personalized recommendations, people remain wary about handing over control to algorithms. The opaque nature of how AI works, especially in data processing and decision-making, creates a barrier between users and technology. Users want to understand how their data is being collected and how it’s being used to inform AI actions.

This lack of transparency, coupled with frequent news blasts about security breaches and vulnerabilities, leaves users on edge. While companies are making strides in improving data security, the perception of risk still looms large. For AI to gain wider acceptance, companies must address these concerns by offering clearer, more open communication and stronger privacy safeguards.

Bridge the gap between functional and emotional trust

The challenge of forging functional trust between companies and consumers isn’t new. At the dawn of the digital age, the debate about functional trust centered on whether people could trust businesses to store their personal credit card data securely. The same debate arose with the rise of the app economy, in which the debate became more serious (“Can I trust a ride-sharing service with my personal safety?”).

As AI becomes more capable, building functional trust is becoming easier. AI can perform tasks reliably, consistently, and obviously, leading users to trust the functional aspects of an AI solution.

The real challenge, however, is building emotional trust. AI’s advanced capabilities can make it feel impersonal or even threatening, which amplifies emotional distrust. People might accept that AI can reliably perform tasks, but emotionally connecting with AI, forming a bond beyond functionality, remains elusive.

Emotional trust helps make AI more lovable

AI raises the stakes. It’s been likened to a commercially mass-produced version of the Infinity Stones from the Marvel universe, which people can use to do great good or great evil. At least, that’s how people perceive it.

AI requires us to trust machines to teach our children, help doctors perform life-or-death surgeries, and drive our cars for us. AI wants to be part of our very existence in the home, on the road, and everywhere else. At the same time, AI inspires a widespread fear that robots might take our jobs and replace us in our lives.

People don’t think of AI as lovable, and that’s a problem rooted in emotional distrust, not functional distrust—which makes it a problem that product designers need to help solve. If designers can crack the code of emotional trust, the payoff is big: smart, trustworthy products will encourage repeatability, dependability, and relatability. If not, people will continue to distrust any AI solutions you produce.

Show a commitment to AI safety and ethics

AI creators are making significant strides in building trust by committing to safety, ethics, and transparency. Many leading developers are adopting ethical AI guidelines, placing a stronger emphasis on creating systems that respect user privacy and prioritize fairness. These initiatives help ensure that AI systems are not only accurate but also safe, transparent, and aligned with human values.

By openly addressing concerns about privacy, data use, and decision-making processes, companies are slowly easing consumer fears. For example, through clearer communication about how personal data is being used and offering more control over data-sharing options, your organization can foster an improved sense of security and trust.

AI creators are also incorporating safety protocols to prevent harmful outcomes, such as bias in decision-making algorithms or misinterpretations in natural language processing.

This commitment to ethics and safety is helping to shift the perception of AI from an opaque, mysterious force to a tool designed with user well-being in mind. The conversation is no longer just about what AI can do, but how it does it in ways that are responsible and reassuring to the public.

Design emotional trust into every AI product

Designing for emotional trust is about creating a product that not only functions well but also forms a relatable bond with users.

For example, Centific designed the Guardians of History voice app for children with a focus on both tone and engagement (the work was performed by our Moonshot design unit, which has since been integrated fully into Centific). The design team used a warm, encouraging voice rather than a robotic one to make the app more inviting. Through upbeat narration and careful attention to the user’s experience, the app turned a simple learning task into an emotionally engaging journey.

Your design team should prioritize understanding the emotional context of your users, especially in complex demographics like children. The key to building AI trust is to speak in a tone that users relate to and appreciate. By designing a product that emotionally connects with users, designers help build relationships that foster loyalty and engagement.

Trust is no longer just about the function of the product but the feeling it evokes in those who use it.

Design intelligent products for emotional trust by evolving design thinking

Popular design approaches, such as design thinking, can help develop emotional trust if your organization takes them further. Designers should prioritize designing for relationships by asking, “What kind of relationship does the user want with the product?” rather than just solving functional problems. This shift allows for the creation of products that are emotionally engaging and relatable.

To evolve design thinking, focus on three key elements: data, communication, and user preference.

First, intelligently use data to not only meet functional needs but also enhance emotional connections by presenting it in a way that builds trust. Your frontier AI data foundry platform will play a critical role in this step.

Second, communication should be transparent and relatable, using tone and clarity that resonates with users emotionally. Products that communicate clearly and with the right tone foster stronger relationships.

Finally, understand user preferences and design products that reflect the type of relationship users want to have. Whether the product acts as a coach, a friend, or a supportive guide, aligning with user expectations is essential to build emotional trust.

Design for relationships

Ultimately, designing for emotional trust is about defining the product/user relationship. It’s not just about identifying what the need is and how to meet it. It’s about learning what kind of relationship the use wants to have with their products. Should it be motherly? Should it feel like a coach? What about a friend who knows everything about the user—even when to deliver some tough love?

Determining the product/user relationship and mapping it out at the outset of discovery paves the way for the research, user experience design, product engineering, product management, and development efforts that follow.

Learn more about the organizations building trust in AI with Centific.