Artificial intelligence is increasingly transforming two of the most sensitive and impactful areas of our lives: healthcare and banking. Whether it’s supporting doctors in diagnosing complex conditions or helping financial institutions detect fraud and assess credit risk, AI holds enormous promise to improve outcomes, efficiency, and decision-making. However, this growing reliance on AI also brings a wave of public concern. Many people worry about losing the human touch in medical care, about their sensitive data being misused, or about being judged by opaque algorithms that they don’t understand.
At the TANGO Project, where we focus on trusted AI solutions for high-stakes environments like medicine healthcare and finance, we believe that building public trust is not just a technical challenge, it’s a communication challenge as well. Effective communication plays a central role in addressing people’s fears and ensuring they understand and feel confident in how AI is being used.
A key part of that is clearly explaining the purpose and process behind AI applications. People need to understand why AI is being introduced, how it functions, and who remains accountable. In both healthcare and banking, we emphasize that AI is designed to assist, not replace, human professionals. Doctors continue to make final decisions about patient care, just as financial advisors and compliance officers oversee critical banking decisions. Communicating this clearly helps alleviate the fear that machines are taking over.
Ethical concerns around data protection, algorithmic bias, and fairness must also be addressed proactively. At TANGO, we are transparent about how we develop and test our systems to ensure they are safe, fair, and compliant with regulations like the GDPR and the EU AI Act. We don’t wait for questions to be raised, we bring these topics into the conversation early to build credibility and trust.
Just as important is the need to involve stakeholders at every stage. We regularly engage with healthcare professionals, patients, financial experts, and end-users to gather insights and co-develop both our solutions and our messaging. This inclusive approach ensures that we are speaking to real concerns and delivering real value.
Moreover, while data and accuracy rates are important, we know that stories often have more impact than statistics. Whether it’s a clinician who caught a disease earlier thanks to AI support or a customer whose financial information was protected from fraud, real-life examples help people connect emotionally with the benefits of AI.
In the end, trust in AI, particularly in sectors like healthcare and banking, doesn’t come automatically. It must be earned through consistent, clear, and human-centered communication. At the TANGO Project, we see this as a foundational part of building technology that people not only use, but believe in. Because ultimately, trusted AI begins with trusted relationships, and those relationships are built through communication.
Read more about the EU Communication strategy here: Strategic plan 2020-2024 – Communication – European Commission
Written by Maria Carolan and Claudia Esposito, Carr Communications