EqualAI president Miriam Vogel argues that public trust in AI depends on practical ways to check systems, correct mistakes and challenge decisions, not simply on assurances from companies. Her advice to organisations is concrete: map where AI is used, arrange independent evaluation, prepare to handle significant incidents, assign accountability and build AI literacy.
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
In a Fox News opinion article published on 7 October, Vogel makes the case that governance should help people use AI with greater confidence, rather than treating safeguards as a brake on development. She cites an EqualAI survey conducted by YouGov in which 46% of Americans said they would be uncomfortable with a company using AI in a way involving them or their data, regardless of safeguards. Vogel also says 71% would feel more confident after a positive experience with an AI system, and 63% after a positive evaluation by independent scientists.
Vogel points to other survey responses as a practical checklist: she says 60% support third-party audits, 68% consider it essential to be able to correct wrong information, and 65% say it is essential to appeal an AI-driven decision. Those are figures cited in her argument, not proof that any particular safeguard works.
Why it matters
For a company deploying AI, “we have a policy” is a thin answer to questions about what a system can access, who checks it and what happens when it goes wrong. Vogel’s proposals turn that broad trust debate into operational questions: can the organisation see its deployments, test systems independently, report serious incidents and identify who is responsible?
That matters especially as AI agents move from generating answers to taking actions. Vogel says organisations should ensure agents have only the minimum access they need. A sensible rule, and one that becomes more useful when someone is actually accountable for enforcing it.
Our read
Vogel’s strongest point is that trust is not a slogan to be requested from the public; it has to be earned through visible checks and ways to put things right. Her proposed measures give organisations a workable starting list, though the survey figures describe public views, not evidence that these steps alone will make AI safe or trustworthy.
What to watch
- Whether organisations publish clear accounts of where AI is deployed and what it can access.
- Who conducts independent evaluations, and what happens when a system fails them.
- Whether incident reporting and appeal routes become real procedures rather than policy-page decorations.
Discussion spark: Should independent audits, incident reporting and appeal rights be basic requirements for AI deployments, or should companies be free to set those safeguards themselves?
Sources and evidence
- America cannot win the global AI race if Americans are afraid to use AI – Fox News (7 October 2026, 11:00 UTC)
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