Artificial intelligence (AI) may be revolutionising business, but the technology’s greatest impact could be making one of the oldest business principles more valuable than ever: trust.
That is the central argument advanced by STEMGuyana Founder and Executive Director Dr. Karen Abrams in an opinion piece published in the Kaieteur News on May 31, where she contends that while AI is rapidly democratising access to technical skills and services, it cannot replicate the confidence consumers place in people, brands and institutions.
Abrams, who holds a doctorate in Educational Administration and is widely regarded as a pioneer of STEM education in Guyana, has spent more than a decade promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics education among children, parents and teachers across the country. In recent years, she has also emerged as a leading voice on artificial intelligence and its implications for education, business and workforce development.
In her article, titled “The Last Thing the Machines Can’t Copy,“ Abrams challenged the growing belief that advances in artificial intelligence will diminish the importance of human relationships and reputation.
“There is a quiet assumption running through the excitement about artificial intelligence: that as the machines get better, the human element matters less. The opposite is closer to the truth.”
According to Abrams, AI is rapidly commoditising many of the technical capabilities that once gave businesses a competitive edge.
“As AI commoditises the technical layer of almost everything, the code, the copy, the design, the marketing materials, cognitive knowledge and even the baseline competence that once separated good firms from bad ones, the things AI cannot easily replicate become the scarce and defensible sources of value; trust, reputation, and relationships.”
She argued that the widespread availability of AI tools means competing businesses can increasingly generate similar products, services and marketing materials, making trust a key differentiator.
“When any competitor can generate the same website, the same advertisements, the same business plans, and the same serviceable products using the same AI tools, the product itself stops being the differentiator. What remains is whether customers believe you.”
While acknowledging that price remains a major consideration for many consumers, particularly in developing economies, Abrams said trust often becomes even more important when financial resources are limited.
“For the poorest households purchasing basic necessities, price will remain decisive until incomes rise. No amount of branding changes that reality.”
However, she noted that lower-income consumers are often more sensitive to risk because the consequences of a poor purchasing decision can be far more severe.
“A wealthy customer who makes a bad purchase is inconvenienced. A poor customer may lose money that cannot easily be replaced.”
That reality, Abrams argued, helps explain why consumers frequently remain loyal to businesses and service providers that consistently deliver quality and reliability.
Using Guyana’s education sector as an example, she pointed to parents who continue to invest in private schools, tutors and educational programmes despite the availability of free alternatives.
“Most parents are making a calculation about outcomes. They believe certain institutions will provide greater attention, more consistency, better discipline, stronger academic support, or a greater chance of success for their children.”
She said the same pattern can be observed in technology education, where parents often choose programmes they trust.
“Parents often choose paid programs from organizations such as STEMGuyana not because they are unaware of free alternatives, but because they believe the programme has demonstrated value over time. They trust the brand. They trust the outcomes. They trust the people behind it and that trust is an economic asset.”
Abrams also discussed what economists describe as the “poverty premium”—the additional costs often faced by low-income consumers due to limited options, expensive credit and other structural barriers.
She argued that consumer behaviour is frequently shaped by the level of competition in a market rather than by cost alone.
“Many people assume that price dominates because consumers care only about cost. In reality, price tends to dominate where competition is weak.”
That observation, she said, has significant implications for Guyana as artificial intelligence lowers barriers to entry and allows smaller businesses to compete more effectively.
“The small entrepreneur who could never afford a marketing department can now create professional marketing materials. The small business that could not afford software developers can now build tools and websites with assistance from AI.”
Abrams argues that while access to technology may become universal, trust will continue to distinguish businesses from their competitors.
“The local accounting firm can use AI. The new entrepreneur can use AI. The multinational corporation can use AI. The technology itself becomes widely available. What remains scarce is trust.”
She noted that trust has always played a central role in Guyanese commerce, long before online reviews and digital ratings became commonplace.
“Long before online reviews and digital ratings, business moved through family networks, church communities, workplaces, and personal recommendations.”
According to Abrams, the rise of artificial intelligence may make those relationships even more valuable because sophisticated AI tools can make it increasingly difficult to distinguish genuine quality from polished appearances.
“When everyone can generate professional-looking websites, polished advertisements, convincing presentations, and sophisticated customer communications, distinguishing between genuine quality and superficial appearance becomes harder.”
In that environment, she believes businesses that combine technology with integrity, responsiveness and a strong reputation will have a distinct advantage.
“The businesses that thrive in the next decade may not be those with the most advanced technology. They may be those that combine technology with reliability, responsiveness, integrity, and a reputation that has been earned over years rather than generated in seconds.”
Abrams concluded that the most important question facing Guyanese businesses is not whether they will adopt artificial intelligence, but whether they have built the trust necessary to succeed in an increasingly AI-driven marketplace.
“Because as artificial intelligence makes competence abundant, trust may become the most valuable asset a business possesses. And unlike software, it cannot be downloaded.”
