Practical Roadmap for Verifiable Trust

Trust in AI isn't a PR problem. It's an engineering one. Public trust in AI is falling fast. In the UK, 87% of people want stronger regulation on AI and a majority believe current safeguards aren't enough. We can't rebuild that trust with ethics statements, glossy videos, or "trust centers" that nobody reads. We need to engineer trust into AI systems from day one. That means: Designing for transparency and explainability (not just performance) Piloting high-benefit, low-risk use cases that prove value (and safety) Embedding value-alignment into system architecture using standards like ISO/IEEE 24748-7000 Engineers can no longer afford to be left out of the trust conversation. They are the trust conversation. Here’s how: 🔧 1. Value-Based Engineering (VBE): Turning Ethics into System Design Most companies talk about AI ethics. Few can prove it. Value-Based Engineering (VBE), guided by ISO/IEEE 24748-7000, helps translate public values into system requirements. It’s a 3-step loop: Elicit values: fairness, accountability, autonomy Translate into constraints: e.g., <5% error rate disparity across groups Implement & track across dev lifecycle This turns “fairness” from aspiration to implementation. The UK’s AI Safety Institute can play a pivotal role in defining and enforcing these engineering benchmarks. 🔍 2. Transparency Isn’t a Buzzword. It’s a Stack Explainability has layers: Global: what the system is designed to do Local: why this output, for this user, right now? Post hoc: full logs and traceability The UK’s proposed AI white paper encourages responsible innovation but it’s time to back guidance with technical implementation standards. The gold standard? If something goes wrong, you can trace it and fix it with evidence. ✅ 3. Trust Is Verifiable, Not Assumed Brundage et al. offer the blueprint: External audits and third-party certifications Red-team exercises simulating adversarial misuse Bug bounty-style trust challenges Compute transparency: what was trained, how, and with what data? UK regulators should incentivise these practices with procurement preferences and public reporting frameworks. This isn’t compliance theater. It’s engineering maturity. 🚦 4. Pilot High-Impact, Low-Risk Deployments Don’t go straight to AI in criminal justice or benefits allocation. Start where you can: Improve NHS triage queues Explainable fraud detection in HMRC Local council AI copilots with human-in-the-loop override Use these early deployments to build evidence and public trust. 📐 5. Build Policy-Ready Engineering Systems Public trust is shaped not just by what we build but how we prove it works. That means: Engineering for auditability Pre-wiring systems for regulatory inspection Documenting assumptions and risk mitigation Let’s equip Ofcom, ICO, and the AI Safety Institute with the tools they need and ensure engineering teams are ready to deliver. The public is asking: Can we trust this? The best answer isn’t a promise. It’s a protocol.

The invisible thread securing the energy transition isn't a molecule—it's a verifiable data point. As we scale up hydrogen, CCS, and low-carbon fuels, the risk of greenwashing and data fraud grows. How can we trust that a "green" molecule is truly green across a global supply chain? A recent UN/CEFACT white paper provides a powerful answer. 🔍 Key Industry Insights From "Push" to "Pull": The future of supply chains is shifting from pushing paper and PDFs to a digital "pull" model. Authorized partners will use Globally Unique Identifiers (GUIs) to access the specific data they need, on demand. This creates a single, trusted source of truth. The D-R-V Standard: For an identifier to be effective, it must be Discoverable, Resolvable, and Verifiable (D-R-V). This isn't just a barcode; it's a cryptographically secure "digital passport" that proves an asset's origin, authenticity, and ESG attributes with certainty. Building Digital Trust: This framework is foundational for verifying the carbon intensity of hydrogen, ensuring the chain of custody for captured CO2, and validating the sustainability of biofuels. It moves ESG from a reporting exercise to a verifiable, operational reality. 🎯 Career Lens This shift creates a massive opportunity for professionals who can bridge physical assets and digital trust. High-Value Skills: The ability to design, manage, and audit these new digital-physical systems is becoming critical. Roles in digital transformation, supply chain analytics, and tech-focused ESG compliance are seeing their strategic value skyrocket. A Tip for Engineers & PMs: Start thinking about how to embed D-R-V principles into your projects. How can you tag a shipment of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) so its carbon footprint is verifiable from the refinery to the jet engine? That's the billion-dollar question. 🧠 Strategic Reflection This is about more than just tracking; it's about building verifiable integrity at scale. What if you built a 90-day plan to reposition yourself as the expert who ensures the digital integrity of your company's decarbonization claims? AI-powered assessment tools can help map your current skills to these emerging "digital trust" roles. 💡 Action Steps Get fluent: Familiarize yourself with the concepts in the UNECE "Globally Unique Identifiers" white paper and emerging standards like the verifiable Legal Entity Identifier (vLEI). Ask the right question: In your next project meeting, ask: "How do we verifiably prove the origin and attributes of our assets to our stakeholders?" 🚀 Engagement Prompt How is your organization preparing to build this layer of digital trust into its physical supply chains? I'm curious to hear what challenges and opportunities you see. #EnergyTransition #DigitalTransformation #SupplyChain #Hydrogen #ESG #Decarbonization #FutureOfWork #Leadership #CareerDevelopment

$30 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿. 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲? Global trade remains stuck in the past. Despite a world of AI, blockchain, and advanced tech, this $30 trillion ecosystem still relies on paper documents and PDFs. The result? Slow processes, high costs, and endless friction. But what if we could flip the script-unlocking real-time, trusted, and digital trade data? A new report from the ICC Digital Standards Initiative offers a roadmap to make this happen. It’s called “Digitalising Global Trade: A Roadmap for Achieving Interoperable, Inclusive, and Trusted Trade.” And it’s not just another wish list-it’s a pragmatic plan for change. Here’s what stood out: → *Don’t just digitise documents-structure data.* Global trade relies on 36 key documents, but there are 189 shared data elements hidden within. Aligning these allows for automation, financing, and traceability at scale. → *Portable trust is the future.* Using verifiable digital identities like LEIs (Legal Entity Identifiers) and “verify once, use many” frameworks can build trust across borders, industries, and systems. → *Interoperability is the missing layer.* Think of it like the internet’s TCP/IP-an underlying foundation that lets systems communicate seamlessly. A shared semantic and trust layer can do the same for trade. What’s next? Execution. ✔ Governments: Align with global standards and promote digital trust frameworks. ✔ Platforms: Open APIs and adopt structured, standardised data. ✔ Financial institutions: Transition to ISO 20022 and embrace verifiable records. ✔ Everyone: Use Key Implementation Guides (KIGs) for plug-and-play interoperability. The laws are in place. The tech exists. Now, it’s about collaboration. By harmonising data, embedding digital trust, and adopting open standards, we can future-proof trade for speed, inclusion, and resilience. What’s holding your sector back from embracing shared data standards? Could digital credentials truly replace paper signatures? Let’s discuss how we can make this vision a reality. Authors and Contributors: Pamela Mar Sudeshna Sen Christoph Gugelmann Keith Bear Richard Hayler Tania Ziegler #blockchain #fintech

From Concept to Production: Verified ID in 6 Weeks 💡 Identity is the new security perimeter—and trust is the foundation. With Microsoft Entra Verified ID, organizations can move beyond passwords and static credentials to verifiable, privacy-respecting digital identities. At Fortytwo, we’ve distilled the journey into a 6-week roadmap: ✅ Week 1: Plan & analyze use cases ✅ Weeks 2–3: Enable Verified ID services and configure issuance & presentation flows ✅ Weeks 4–5: Integrate APIs/SDKs, wire user journeys, and implement policies ✅ Week 6: Test, deploy, and document for production Architecture at a glance: Trust systems: Choose between did:ion for decentralized anchoring or did:web for PKI-aligned trust Issuance flow: Collect attributes → Create issuance request → Wallet scan → VC delivered Verification flow: Request proof → Wallet presents VC → Validate signature → Return verified data The result? Improved security, streamlined processes, and a better user experience—all in record time. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d6-Ma_34 Let’s build trust together ☑️ #MicrosoftSecurity #EntraID #VerifiedID #DigitalIdentity #CloudSecurity #WeAreFortytwo

Key State Capital - vLEI: The Dawn of Organizational Digital Identity As the digital economy matures, the need for verifiable, trustworthy organizational identity becomes urgent. Key State Capital's new report dives deep into one of the most important evolutions in digital trust infrastructure: the verifiable Legal Entity Identifier (vLEI). This report outlines how the vLEI, governed by the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF) and built on the KERI protocol, is solving long-standing problems of fraud, inefficiency, and interoperability in organizational identity. This is a field guide to the future of digital trust. The report explores: 🔹 The limitations of current business identity systems 🔹 Why platform-based approaches have failed 🔹 How the vLEI provides a global, cryptographically verifiable, protocol-based  identity solution 🔹 Real-world pilots, startups and regulatory momentum in banking, healthcare, global trade, and national ID systems With detailed research, exclusive insights from the Web of Trust Map, and a clear explanation of how vLEI credentials work in practice, this report is essential reading for regulators, enterprises, innovators, and policy thinkers navigating the decentralized identity space.

✋ As global demand for critical minerals grows, it will be important to anticipate and address the potential harms the mining and metals sector can have on societies, communities and the environment as overlooking these risks can ultimately disrupt supply for clean energy technologies. ✋International Energy Agency (IEA) released the report, "The Role of Traceability in Critical Mineral Supply Chains" 👉 This report includes a practical eight-step roadmap, from setting policy objectives to building trust mechanisms, which can help ensure traceability systems are fit for purpose and aligned with the realities of global supply chains. Highlights: 👉Critical mineral supply chains cannot be truly secure, reliable and resilient unless they are also sustainable and responsible 👉Traceability can play an important role in supporting different types of policy goals, including on energy security, and ensuring sustainable and responsible supply chains are supported by strong due diligence processes 👉At the same time, careful design and implementation, along with addressing key technological and economic challenges, are essential for traceability systems to effectively support responsible supply chains 👉Traceability systems must also be tailored to mineral supply chains and risks. A suggested roadmap: • Step 1: Determine the policy objectives that traceability should help achieve and understand the supply chain context. • Step 2: Taking account of policy objectives, choose which products to focus on. • Step 3: Determine what information operators should collect and share. • Step 4: Considering the supply chain context, choose which operators to focus on. • Step 5: Promote the development and use of interoperability protocols. • Step 6: Establish trust mechanisms. • Step 7: Create incentives for increasing traceability, including economic incentives (such as funding arrangements and tax credits) as well as regulatory requirements. • Step 8: Engage with stakeholders in foreign jurisdictions to ensure there is supply chain collaboration and to promote data-sharing.  ✋ Read the full report for more insights