Reciprocal Trust and Distrust in Artificial Intelligence Systems: The Hard Problem of Regulation

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Maggetti, Martino
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Maggetti, Martino
author_facet Maggetti, Martino
contents Policy makers, scientists, and the public are increasingly confronted with thorny questions about the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. A key common thread concerns whether AI can be trusted and the factors that can make it more trustworthy in front of stakeholders and users. This is indeed crucial, as the trustworthiness of AI systems is fundamental for both democratic governance and for the development and deployment of AI. This article advances the discussion by arguing that AI systems should also be recognized, as least to some extent, as artifacts capable of exercising a form of agency, thereby enabling them to engage in relationships of trust or distrust with humans. It further examines the implications of these reciprocal trust dynamics for regulators tasked with overseeing AI systems. The article concludes by identifying key tensions and unresolved dilemmas that these dynamics pose for the future of AI regulation and governance.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_05826
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Reciprocal Trust and Distrust in Artificial Intelligence Systems: The Hard Problem of Regulation
Maggetti, Martino
Artificial Intelligence
Computers and Society
Policy makers, scientists, and the public are increasingly confronted with thorny questions about the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. A key common thread concerns whether AI can be trusted and the factors that can make it more trustworthy in front of stakeholders and users. This is indeed crucial, as the trustworthiness of AI systems is fundamental for both democratic governance and for the development and deployment of AI. This article advances the discussion by arguing that AI systems should also be recognized, as least to some extent, as artifacts capable of exercising a form of agency, thereby enabling them to engage in relationships of trust or distrust with humans. It further examines the implications of these reciprocal trust dynamics for regulators tasked with overseeing AI systems. The article concludes by identifying key tensions and unresolved dilemmas that these dynamics pose for the future of AI regulation and governance.
title Reciprocal Trust and Distrust in Artificial Intelligence Systems: The Hard Problem of Regulation
topic Artificial Intelligence
Computers and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.05826