Two landmark global studies published this month reveal something the AI industry is not yet ready to hear. Public trust in AI is falling in the markets that matter most, and the information environment through which people form their opinions about it is in crisis. This is not a communications problem. It is a strategic one. Julio Romo draws on data from the Ipsos AI Monitor 2026 and the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026 to examine what the signals mean for AI companies, governments, and investors, and why tactical communications is making the trust deficit worse, not better.

The Reuters Institute’s new report, Mapping News Creators and Influencers in Social and Video Networks, shows how online creators now shape public opinion. Governments and companies must adapt their reputation strategies to navigate this fast-moving media landscape.

TikTok has gone dark in the US after a law banning it came into effect. But, is TikTok a national security or an example of US corporate lobbying and influence against a foreign and Chinese digital and social media company that has disrupted Meta, Google, X and others?

Battenhall released its 2025 ‘The Year Ahead In Social’ report, which highlighted the rise in ‘dark social’ as a channel that people continue to move towards in a hyper-polarised environment. People want relevance and authenticity from brands that engage with them. Going siloed is becoming a trend.

The BBC announced earlier this week that its Hardtalk show, presented by Stephen Sackur and broadcast on the BBC News Channel in the UK and internationally on BBC World News, was being axed.

While the BBC is in a difficult place because of its treatment by the previous Conservative government, who held the view that the license fee was outdated and biased against them, as a public service broadcaster, cutting respected news and journalism programmes is creating an environment that damages the UK and its image and reputation abroad.

In a weird video posted on X, Linda Yacarinno says that they are suing companies that have chosen not to advertise on a channel that has become too toxic for them. For some odd reason, they are spending money on legal counsel rather iterating a product upward from what Musk has sabotaged.

Here are some technology, innovation, trade and public relations trends to look out for in 2021. Normally will be returning, but slowly and the appetite for innovation will be greater than ever.