As technology continues to advance in its capabilities and uses—and plays an increasing role in our lives–we must remain vigilant to the human risks that accompany it. As the field of Trust & Safety continues to mature, organizations offering technology products and services must anticipate how they might be misappropriated, abused, or serve as a vector to target their users. Anticipating and actively managing these risks can build trust, safety, and confidence in a product and its provider, while simultaneously addressing risks with societal implications.

The Institute for Security and Technology (IST) sits at the intersection of rapid technological innovation and its implications for humanity, positioning it to respond to this challenge. IST in 2023 launched its Applied Trust & Safety Initiative, a long-term effort to ensure technology products and services are safe to use and capabilities such as AI are fully leveraged to address these challenges at scale.