The Age Of Trust. How Can We Renew the Social Contract between People, Institutions and Technology
About the event
Trust is the cornerstone of Europe’s digital future, whether we are talking about artificial intelligence, data protection or the fight against disinformation. But regulatory approaches too often focus exclusively on piling up compliance requirements. To translate policy goals into effective product design and a meaningful user experience, a more articulated toolbox is necessary.
What are the state-of-the-art instruments we can use to bridge the gap between policy and practice? What can we learn from other sectors, and how can we bake these lessons directly into European Union policymaking?
To address these issues, the Lisbon Council convenes the High-Level Roundtable on ‘The Age of Trust: How to Renew the Social Contract between People, Institutions and Technology’, on Tuesday, 01 December 2026, from 14h00 to 15h30 CET, at the Residence Palace. Sarah Gold, founder and CEO of Projects by IF and author of The Age of Trust, will deliver The 2026 Paul Hofheinz Lecture on Designing for Trust, summarizing the lessons learnt in her 10 years’ work advising leading companies and institutions.
Bringing together representatives from European institutions, technology companies and civil society, a high-level panel will reflect on Ms Gold's insights and explore how European policies can effectively foster trust between citizens, institutions and technology. Panellists include David Mueller, acting head, directorate-general for Inspire, Debate, Engage and Accelerate Action (I.D.E.A) at the European Commission, and Inés Ben Amor, co-founder and CEO of Luna, a pioneering health-tech company leveraging medical artificial intelligence to transform women's endometriosis diagnosis and care.