FIR #498: Can Business Be a Trust Broker in Today’s Insulated Society?

The 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer focuses squarely on “a crisis of insularity.” The world’s largest independent PR agency suggests only business is in a position to be a trust broker in this environment. While the Trust Barometer’s data offers valuable insights, Neville and Shel suggest it be viewed through the lens of critical thinking. After all, who is better positioned to counsel businesses on how to be a trust broker than a PR agency? Also in this episode: Research shows employee adoption of AI is low, especially in non-tech organizations like retail and manufacturing, and among lower-level employees.CEOs insist that AI is making work more efficient. Do employees agree?Organizations believe deeply in the importance of alignment. So why aren’t employees aligned any more today than they were eight years ago?Mark Zuckerberg changed the name of his company to reflect its commitment to the metaverse. These days, the metaverse doesn’t figure much in Zuckerberg’s thinkingIn his Tech Report, Dan York reflects on Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary. Links from this episode: 2026 Edelman Trust BarometerSociety Is Becoming More InsularExclusive: Global trust data finds our shared reality is collapsingInsularity is next trust crisis, according to the 2026 Edelman Trust BarometerEmployers are the most trusted institution. That should worry you – StrategicThe 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer has landed, and everyone in comms is about to spend the next six months quoting the same statisticHIS THEORY IS LITERALLY: The human beings of the earth don’t like each other, don’t trust each other, won’t talk to each other, won’t listen to each other.Richard Edelman Has No Clothes. (Nobody Does.)Trust amid insularity: the leadership challenge hiding in plain sightEmployees say they’re fuzzy on their employers’ AI strategyJP Morgan’s AI adoption hit 50% of employees. The secret? A connectivity-first architectureHow Americans View AI and Its Impact on People and SocietyOnly 14% of workers use GenAI daily despite rising AI optimism: SurveyOffering more AI tools can’t guarantee better adoption — so what can?Only 10 Percent of Workers Use AI Daily. Getting Higher Adoption Depends on LeadersLeaders Assume Employees Are Excited About AI. They’re Wrong.Meta is about to start grading workers on their AI skillsCEOs are delusional about AI adoptionCEOs Say AI Is Making Work More Efficient. Employees Tell a Different Story.The Productivity Gap Nobody Measured.FIR #497: CEOs Wrest Control of AIThe Alignment ParadoxWhat Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse U-turn means for the future of virtual realityMeta Lays Off Thousands of VR Workers as Zuckerberg’s Vision FailsMeta Lays Off 1,500 People in Metaverse DivisionFIR episodes that featured metaverse discussions Links from Dan York’s Tech Report Celebrating Wikipedia’s 25th Birthday and Reflecting on Being a wikipedia for 21 YearsAt 25, Wikipedia faces its biggest threat yet: AIWikipedia at 25: A Wake-Up Call The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, February 23. We host a Communicators Zoom Chat most Thursdays at 1 p.m. ET. To obtain the credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request them in our Facebook group, or email [e-mail]. Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music. You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this podcast are Shel’s and Neville’s and do not reflect the views of their employers and/or clients. Raw Transcript: Shel Holtz: Hi everybody and welcome to episode number 498 of For Immediate Release. This is our long-form episode for January 2026. I’m Shel Holtz in Concord, California. Neville Hobson: And I’m Neville Hobson, Somerset in the UK. Shel Holtz: And we have a great episode for you today, lots to talk about. I’m sure you’ll be shocked, completely shocked that much of it has a focus on artificial intelligence and its place in communication, but some other juicy topics as well. We’re going to start with the Edelman Trust Barometer, but we do have some housekeeping to take care of first and we will start with a rundown of the short midweek episodes that we have shared with you since our December 2025 long form monthly episode. Neville? Neville Hobson: Indeed. And starting with that episode that we published on the 29th of December, we led with exploring the future of news, including the Washington Post’s ill-advised launch of a personalized AI-generated podcast that failed to meet the newsroom standard for accuracy and the shift from journalist to information stewards as news sources. Other stories included Martin Sorrell’s belief that PR is dead and Sarah Waddington’s rebuttal in the BBC radio debate. Should communicators do anything about AI slop? And no, you can’t tell...