What and who will ultimately determine the real value and potential risks that follow the rise of AI? In this episode of Pure Signal, the team dives into why trust has emerged as a defining factor in AI adoption and reaction as organizations move from experimentation to scaling their real-world usage.

Joined by special guest and Credera Partner Ellen Gates, hosts Kevin Erickson, Jake Carter, and Ryan Medellin unpack the growing gap between what AI systems actually can do and what most customers believe they can do. Bringing in a wealth of marketing and end user expertise, Ellen speaks to what she’s seen out in the field as it relates to personalization, privacy, and governance. You’ll hear why the team believes misaligned signals, opaque models, and poor results can quickly erode confidence in newly deployed AI systems.

For leaders navigating AI-driven marketing, customer experience, and enterprise transformation, this episode offers a grounded perspective on how transparency, thoughtful design, and human accountability are becoming essential to building durable trust and sustainable AI strategies.

—

Quotes

“You can get answers very quickly. The thing is, it doesn’t tell you that those answers are correct. The way that you can jump to an inference, and it can be wrong, is something that really matters. Trust takes a long time to build, once you lose that, you don’t really get it back.” – Ellen Gates

“Going back to basics, and that’s kind of the theme for us. How you treat people, how you run a company. If you actually are building unique elements of what you do, and you serve your customer right, that still matters.” – Kevin Erickson

“We all know this stuff is moving so fast, but even the idea of ‘How do I get my information to show up in a generative model?’ is not wholly dissimilar from how brands have thought about showing up in other platforms. That was really interesting to me. I actually think that could be comforting for a lot of people.” – Jake Carter

“When I think about trust and transparency and hearing about how brands are showing up and consumers doing their own research, it seems to me there’s this second level of validation or trust and transparency that can be built in. If I’ve come in and done all this research using these models, I want the opportunity to talk to a person about these things to double check and make sure what I’m hearing is accurate. To me there is an opportunity there for brands to leverage that human connection.” – Ryan Medellin

—

Time Stamps

00:00 Intro

00:25 Warming up from all the snow

01:50 Introducing Ellen Gates to the show

04:50 Tackling trust and transparency

11:20 The future of data privacy and AI

13:25 Why showing your work is more important than ever

18:30 This third party problem isn't new

22:35 Businesses are still in the driver's seat

27:00 Where advertising fits into this equation

30:55 Control vs. collaboration

37:00 Merging cutting edge tech with seamless CX

39:00 Closing thoughts

—

Links 

Connect with the guest and hosts on LinkedIn!

• Ellen Gates

• Kevin Erickson

• Ryan Medellin

• Jake Carter

Learn more about Credera