AI is turning trust from a byproduct into a line item.
What used to build trust at work was relationship surface area: shared space, shared problems, shared outcomes. It did not require a formal program. Work itself forced contact, and some trust formed in the gaps.
AI independence cuts that surface area by making more work a one-person job. Distributed work cuts it again by removing the hallway, the overheard problem, the lunch that becomes real context. What remains is the residue of collaboration: scheduled meetings, asynchronous messages, transactional coordination with minimal context.
If work no longer creates trust by accident, organizations have to create it on purpose or accept becoming isolated individuals sharing payroll.