Congratulations! Your probabilistic trustworthiness score has passed our variable trust threshold.*

Welcome to the Trust Control podcast.

Trust Control is a documentary audio podcast from independent journalist and researcher Kate Kaye. It’s a journalistic-yet-satirical and philosophical deep dive into the psychology, history and tech behind measuring trust and trustworthiness, from the early Cold War to today’s agentic AI era.

Yep. People actually attempt to measure and even quantify and score trust and trustworthiness. Why? Who funds this stuff? Does it work? Can you measure trust with electrodes? Are human workers more trustworthy than their agentic AI co-workers? Is trust still a feeling?

Trust Control has all the answers to the questions you never knew you had!

The information shared in Trust Control is based on deep research and interviews conducted by Kate between September 2025 and June 2026. Launched in July 2026, the Trust Control podcast is accessible through on-demand listening systems including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and YouTube.

Kate has been a journalist telling deeply-reported stories with words and sound in various reporting and editorial roles since 1999. Learn more about her work, including her ongoing investigative reporting about use of surveillance tech and algorithmic systems by city government where she lives in Portland, Oregon on her independent reporting and research site, RedTailMedia.org.

Trust Control Credits

Trust Control was researched, written, edited and produced by Kate Kaye. All interviews with sources featured in Trust Control were conducted by Kate unless otherwise noted.

Fake ads and silly satire was voiced by Kate Kaye and/or Kyle Huth.

The work that went into Trust Control was done in Kate Kaye’s personal time and was supported by Oregon State University’s Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts fellowship on Trust in the Age of Generative AI and Oregon Humanities.

Music Credits

The tunes featured throughout Trust Control were written by D. Rives Curtright and performed by the band Epic Strange from Trust Control’s home of Portland, Oregon:

• D. Rives Curtright: guitar, baritone sax, percussion and drum machine
• Charlie Gotgart: bass
• Steven Francisco: midi keys
• Octavio Dowling: keys
• Dave Coniglio: drums and vibraphone
• Mike McGovern: bass on Decimation

Hear the full Epic Strange album, Nouveau Electric Mess on Soundcloud. Hear music from D. Rives Curtright on Spotify.

Contact

Wanna talk to Kate about the topics covered in Trust Control or invite her to discuss or present them? Please email her at Kate at RedTailMedia dot org.

*Assigned Trust Control trustworthiness scores are subject to change.