Building Trust Is Part of Building the Technology
Reflections from a day at the One Health AI Accelerator
The conversation around AI is changing. It's no longer just about what AI can do, but how we use it responsibly, safely and in ways that make a meaningful difference to people's lives.
That was one of my biggest takeaways from a thought-provoking day at the One Health AI Accelerator, where we explored Responsible AI, building trust and what it really takes to turn innovation into something practical, trustworthy and sustainable.
One message stood out for me:
The gap is no longer access to AI. It's the capability to deploy it safely and turn it into measurable value.
Responsible AI is more than a policy
Throughout the day, a few words kept coming up: responsible, evidence, practical, human-centric, trustworthy and sustainable. Individually, they're important. Together, they form the foundations of Responsible AI.
It's not enough to say we're developing technology responsibly. We need to be able to demonstrate it. To show the evidence behind our decisions, how we're managing risks, how we're protecting people's data and, importantly, how the technology works in real life.
While technology can be innovative, sophisticated and technically impressive, if people don't trust it, understand it or see how it benefits them, what value is it really delivering?
Trust isn't something we can simply ask people to give us. It's something we build through relationships, actions and the way we work together.
Building on the foundations we already have
For us at inCharge, this isn't the beginning of a conversation about responsibility, trust or putting people first.
These principles have shaped our approach from the outset.
We've built inCharge through co-design, working alongside people who draw on care and support, families, personal assistants and organisations. Listening to their experiences, understanding what matters to them and involving them in shaping the technology.
Those relationships have influenced not just what we've built, but how we've built it.
Co-design requires trust. It means being open to challenge, recognising that people bring different expertise and being willing to change direction when something isn't working.
It also means recognising that the people whose lives are most affected by technology should have a meaningful say in how it is developed and used.
That approach is already part of our organisational culture.
As we move further into AI, we're not starting from scratch. We're building on those foundations, strengthening them with the governance, structures and evidence needed to demonstrate that we're developing and using AI responsibly.
And importantly, continuing to involve people in shaping what comes next.
What this means for inCharge
Our platform already helps people, families and support teams coordinate and communicate around everyday care and support.
As we develop our AI capabilities, particularly around wellbeing, reporting and turning everyday information into meaningful insights, we have a responsibility to get this right.
We're working with information about people's lives. Their routines, experiences, preferences, relationships and support needs.
That information is valuable, but it's also personal.
We believe people should have more choice and control over their lives, including how information about them is recorded, shared and used.
AI has the potential to make that information more useful, supporting better conversations, more informed decisions and a clearer understanding of what's working well and what might need to change.
But AI should support human judgement, not replace it.
And it must work for the people at the centre of care and support, not simply make reporting easier for the organisations around them.
Moving from principles into practice
One of the most useful aspects of the day was the focus on making Responsible AI practical.
It's easy to agree with principles like fairness, transparency, accountability and safety. The challenge is translating them into the everyday decisions we make as a technology company.
We've come away with some tangible actions.
We're developing a Responsible AI Policy, further strengthening our Data Governance Framework and establishing an AI Governance Framework that will guide how we design, develop, test and deploy AI.
We're also exploring ethical frameworks and how we can build evidence of responsible practice into our processes from the outset.
This is about formalising and strengthening what we've already been doing, while recognising that AI introduces new responsibilities and risks that need careful consideration.
Not as a tick-box exercise, or something we address when a customer or regulator asks, but as part of how we operate.
Our goal is to be compliant by design, not by correction.
That means asking the difficult questions early, being clear about accountability and ensuring our approach evolves alongside the technology.
The founder, leadership and culture matter
Another interesting part of the day involved exercises that challenged us to reflect on the founder's role, leadership principles and the culture we're building.
It reminded me that responsible innovation doesn't begin with a framework or a policy document.
It begins with people and the culture we create.
The values of a company influence the decisions it makes, the people it brings together, the questions it asks and, perhaps most importantly, the things it's prepared to challenge.
Our experience of co-design has reinforced this. We've learned that listening, openness, mutual respect and a willingness to be challenged aren't just good principles. They're essential to developing technology that works in people's everyday lives.
As founders, we have a responsibility to protect and strengthen those values as our organisations grow.
To create the conditions where people feel comfortable questioning decisions, raising concerns and thinking beyond what is technically possible to what is right.
Culture is not separate from governance. It's what makes good governance work in practice.
Building technology that earns trust
I left the day feeling encouraged, but also with a stronger sense of the responsibility that comes with building AI-enabled technology in health and social care.
There is enormous potential here. Families are eager for it.
AI could help us better understand people's experiences, reduce unnecessary administration, identify patterns that might otherwise be missed and make everyday information more meaningful to the people who need it.
Potential alone isn't enough.
We need evidence that it works. Evidence that it is safe. Evidence that it delivers value. And evidence that people remain at the centre of the decisions that affect their lives.
For inCharge, Responsible AI is a continuation of the approach we've taken from the beginning: building relationships, listening to people and developing technology around their lives.
The next step is ensuring that the same values are reflected in the policies, governance and evidence that underpin our AI development.
Building trust is part of how we build the technology: supporting people and their important relationships.
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