Samsung Electronics: The Role of Trust in the Future of AI

As AI continues to weave itself into everyday life – from personal devices to connected homes – the question of trust is fast becoming a focal point in public debate.

At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Samsung Electronics hosted a panel titled In Tech We Trust? Rethinking Security & Privacy in the AI Age, bringing together voices from technology, ethics and academia to explore how trust shapes AI adoption and future innovation.

The session featured:

• Allie K Miller, CEO of Open Machine
• Amy Webb, CEO of the Future Today Strategy Group
• Zack Kass, Global AI Advisor at ZKAI Advisory and former Head of Go-To-Market at OpenAI
• Shin Baik, Group Head of Samsung’s AI Platform Centre

Making AI visible and understandable

AI is increasingly working in the background – anticipating needs, streamlining tasks and connecting seamlessly across devices. 

Within this landscape, the panel agreed that trust must be built through design that is transparent, consistent and centred on the user experience.

Allie outlined how clarity drives confidence: “When it comes to AI, users are looking for transparency and control. They want to be leaders in their own personalised experiences – to understand whether an AI model is running locally or in the cloud, to know their data is secure and to clearly see what is powered by AI and what is not. That level of visibility builds confidence.

"On the provider side, there is a responsibility to show up for users by designing personalised experiences around the core components of trust – clarity, security and accountability.”

Samsung used the session to showcase its “trust-by-design” philosophy, centred on transparency and user control.

The company’s approach builds on AI systems that are predictable, understandable and responsive to individual preferences.

A core part of this strategy is on-device AI, which keeps personal data stored locally wherever possible, drawing on the cloud only when faster performance or greater scale is needed.

This hybrid model offers users a balance between privacy and performance, ensuring they can harness the benefits of AI without compromising control over their own data.

Security for a connected AI world

As intelligence becomes is embedded in phones, televisions and household devices, traditional models of digital security must evolve.

Samsung positions its Knox security platform as a foundation for this shift.

Built into its devices from the chipset up, Knox is designed to protect sensitive data across every layer.

Shin noted: “Trust in AI starts with security that’s proven, not promised. For more than a decade, Samsung Knox has provided a deeply embedded security platform designed to protect sensitive data at every layer.

"But trust goes beyond a single device – it requires an ecosystem that protects itself. With Knox, devices continuously authenticate and monitor one another, so each device acts as a shield for the rest, creating a resilient, secure environment users can rely on."

Knox Matrix – Samsung’s cross-device security framework – extends this principle further.

The system enables devices to verify and support one another, forming a connected network where each device actively contributes to protecting the whole ecosystem.

Through mutual authentication, it minimises the risk of a single point of failure and introduces a transparent, continuous layer of security – an essential foundation for building user trust.

Why trust is not just about security

Beyond encryption and authentication, the panel examined how trust in AI depends on ethical design, transparency, and user agency.

Shin noted that users need the ability to observe how AI behaves and make informed decisions. That means shifting away from “black box” systems – models whose logic and outputs remain opaque – and instead providing clear, accessible cues that explain what the technology is doing and why.

Samsung also pointed to its collaborations with partners such as Google and Microsoft, citing joint efforts on interoperability, shared security standards and ecosystem-level protection.

These alliances aim to strengthen security at both the device and network levels.

Allie continued to emphasise the importance of transparency – not only in how data is used, but also in making it clear where and how AI models function.

This includes explicit labelling to distinguish what is AI-driven and what is not, turning the invisible workings of AI into something users can see and understand.

Zack acknowledged the inherent risks of misinformation and misuse that come with AI, but added: "For every risk, there is also a countermeasure and technology itself will play a critical role in mitigating AI’s downsides."

Amy approached the question from a user-behaviour perspective: “I don’t think they’re making decisions based on trust alone. People aren’t paying for trust. They don’t buy things because of trust. They buy things because of convenience. So, if the AI piece of this hooks people in, it makes their lives easier and more convenient."

The panel concluded that genuine, lasting trust will come from embedding transparency, accountability and meaningful user choice into AI products right from the start.