The In-Between Tech and Trust Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Summary

In this episode of the in-between trust podcast, Eva Simone Lihotzky explores innovation sovereignty with the generative AI and cloud expert Sergiu Petean. Their conversation moves through topics about bravery in decision-making, technological sovereignty, and the potential of open-source solutions to drive European collaboration. Together, the speakers reflect on how trust underpins innovation, leadership, and value creation — and why we must treat technology not as a commodity, but as a shared, strategic asset. This episode is a call to act with urgency, integrity, and clarity in shaping the digital and political systems of tomorrow.

🔑 Takeaways

• Trust is the foundation of quality in relationships

• Building a culture of trust requires hard conversations

• Bravery enables authentic decisions and personal growth

• Sovereignty is key to innovation and digital self-determination

• Open source can foster collaboration and shared progress in Europe

• Regulation helps shape ethical tech innovation

• Trust is essential for European collaboration

• Technology can be connective — or divisive

• Leaders need technological literacy for future decisions

• Europe must act now on digital sovereignty

🎙️ Sound Bites

"Trust for me is the foundation of quality."
"We need to be more courageous."

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 The Foundation of Trust
05:11 Understanding Sovereignty
09:13 Cultural Sovereignty and Innovation
11:06 The Role of Regulation in Sovereignty
13:09 Building Trust in Europe
15:10 Technology as a Connector or Divider
17:37 The Power of Open Source
19:27 Creating Communities in Open Source
22:42 Leadership for the Future
26:27 The Value of Technology in Organizations
29:39 In-Between Moments and Reflections

💻 Links

in-between trust on Instagram: @inbetween_trust
More about [Guest Name or Organization]: [insert link]

🔭 Keywords

trust, bravery, sovereignty, innovation, open source, regulation, technology, collaboration, leadership, value creation

🎙️ With Josef Lentsch – Political Entrepreneur, CEO of the Political Tech Summit, author & Managing Partner at the Innovation in Politics Institute

Summary

In this episode of the in-between trust podcast, Eva Simone Lihotzky speaks with political entrepreneur Josef Lentsch about the transformation of democracy through innovation, leadership, and trust. From co-founding the NEOS party in Austria to building the Political Tech Summit, Josef shares his perspective on political entrepreneurship as a practice of systemic change. Together, they explore the erosion and rebuilding of trust in political systems, the role of AI in democratic communication, and how technology can support—not replace—citizen engagement. The conversation highlights how leadership, transparency, and adaptability are key to restoring trust across systems and borders.

🔑 Takeaways

• Political entrepreneurship is about building systems that scale trust.

• Trust reduces friction — in both governance and society.

• Authentic leadership is core to meaningful political transformation.

• Technology can support, but not substitute, democratic dialogue.

• Political startups create new paths for citizen participation.

• Rebuilding trust requires both structural reform and cultural change.

• Cross-border collaboration is key to political innovation in Europe.

• AI must be governed with integrity to support political legitimacy.

🎙️ Sound bites

“Trust makes democracy efficient — and possible.”
“We need to build better models.”
“Political tech is not a silver bullet, but it’s part of the solution.”

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 The Concept of Political Entrepreneurship
04:25 The Importance of Trust in Democracy
10:17 Building Trust Through Political Startups
16:05 Leadership and Trust in Politics
22:32 The Role of AI in Political Communication
25:36 Navigating the Intersection of Tech and Politics
30:38 Hope Amidst Challenges in Democracy
36:40 In-Between Moments and Reflections

💻 Links

in-between trust on Instagram: @inbetween_trust
More about Josef Lentsch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlentsch/

More about Innovation in politics: https://innovationinpolitics.eu

More about the Political Tech Summit: https://www.politicaltech.eu

More about Josef Lentsch's book:

https://www.amazon.de/Political-Entrepreneurship-Successful-Centrist-Start-ups/dp/3030028607

🔭 Keywords

political entrepreneurship, trust in democracy, political startups, civic engagement, digital democracy, AI in politics, leadership and trust, political innovation, democratic systems, political tech

with Julia Löffler – Scientist in Molecular Medicine, Neuroscience & Science Communication at the Charité in Berlin

Summary
In this episode of the in-between trust podcast, Eva Simone Lihotzky speaks with Julia Löffler about the biological, neurological, and relational foundations of trust — and why trust is as much a somatic experience as it is a cognitive one. They explore Julia’s journey from molecular medicine into neuroscience and science communication, the role of empathy in scientific work, and how biology and technology move on fundamentally different timelines. The conversation dives into the chemistry of trust, the tension between innovation speed and human adaptation, and the importance of translating science into language people can understand and act on. Julia shares why dynamic relationships, transparency, and adaptive learning are key to building trust in both medicine and technology.

🔑 Takeaways

• Trust is the essential currency in science and medicine.

• Biology and neurochemistry — from oxytocin to cortisol — shape trust.

• Communication is a core skill in translating science into action.

• Technology must adapt to the natural pace of biology.

• Trust is dynamic and built over time through relationships.

• Advancing knowledge does not guarantee immediate understanding.

• Digital and physical systems must both account for human trust needs.

• Adaptive learning is essential for responding to uncertainty.

🎙️ Sound bites

“Trust is built on dynamic relationships.”
“Biology runs on its own time.”
“Advancing knowledge does not always mean immediate understanding.”

⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Biology, Neuroscience & Trust
03:12 Julia’s Journey from Molecular Medicine to Communication
06:24 The Neurochemistry of Trust
09:15 Bridging Gaps Between Science, Patients & the Public
13:02 Technology vs. Biological Timelines
16:38 Trust as an Adaptive, Dynamic Process
20:05 The Role of Empathy in Scientific Work
23:27 Translating Complexity into Accessible Language
27:41 Future of Trust in Science and Technology
30:15 In-Between Moments and Reflections

💻 Links
in-between trust on Instagram: @inbetween_trust
More about Julia Löffler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-loeffler/

🔭 Keywords
trust in science, neuroscience, molecular medicine, science communication, neurochemistry of trust, oxytocin, cortisol, adaptive learning, empathy in science, bridging disciplines, technology and biology, trust in medicine

with Karel J. Golta - Founder & Managing Director, INDEED Innovation

Summary

In this episode of the In-Between Podcast, Eva Simone Lihotzky engages in a deep conversation with Karel J. Golta about the intersection of circular innovation, humane design, and trust. They explore Karel's journey into circular innovation, the importance of empathy in design, and how trust is a crucial element in creating sustainable systems. The discussion also delves into the shift from linear to circular systems, the need for long-term thinking, and the role of collaboration in fostering trust within communities. Karel emphasizes the importance of designing for continuity and ambiguity, and how these principles can lead to a more regenerative future. The conversation concludes with reflections on the value of trust in design and the courage required to innovate responsibly.

🔑 Takeaways

Karel's journey into design began in childhood with Lego.

Humane innovation prioritizes people, planet, and purpose equally.

Trust is built through the intent behind design.

Design communicates values without explicit words.

Circular systems require transparency and accountability.

Shifting to circular models demands a moral responsibility.

Designers should view users as co-creators, not targets.

Design for continuity rather than just beginnings.

Trust comes from consistency, clarity, and care.

Value in a regenerative model is about enabling rather than taking.

🎙️ Sound bites

"Trust is built or broken by intent."

"Design communicates values without words."

"Designers shape the way people see things."

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Circular Innovation and Trust

02:45 The Concept of Humane Innovation

05:50 Trust in Design and Circular Systems

08:51 Shifting from Linear to Circular Systems

12:02 Designing for Ambiguity and Continuity

14:25 Building Trust in Collaborative Systems

17:31 The Regenerative Future and Value Creation

20:27 Collaboration for a Sustainable Future

23:25 The Role of Trust in Community Building

26:42 In-Between Moments and Personal Reflections

💻 Links

in-between trust on instagram: @inbetween_trust

https://www.instagram.com/inbetween_trust/

More about Karel J. Golta: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karelgolta/

More about indeed innovation: https://www.indeed-innovation.com

🔭 Keywords

circular innovation, humane innovation, trust in design, sustainable systems, regenerative future, collaboration, community building, design for continuity, value creation, systems thinking

with Paula Cipierre, Responsible AI Expert & Strategist

In this episode of the in-between trust podcast, Eva Simone Lihotzky speaks with Paula Cipierre, one of the leading responsible AI strategists with a profound background in law, policy, and tech, about what it means to translate legal and ethical principles into organizational practice - and how trust must be built not just through systems, but through culture, clarity, and human connection.

Together, they explore:

• Why trust needs control, not just promises

• How to create a culture of compliance that doesn’t collapse into checkboxes

• The tension between data governance and intelligent systems

• What it takes to operationalize values across teams, languages, and sectors

• Why interdisciplinary thinking and empathy are foundational leadership skills in the age of AI

With insight from law, humanities, and hands-on tech policy work, Paula brings a rare perspective to ethical AI - one rooted in systems and storytelling.

🔑 Takeaways

• Trust in AI depends on both transparency and institutional reliability

• Compliance isn’t the goal - culture is

• Regulation can enable innovation if done with clarity

• Data governance and bias mitigation start long before AI

• AI literacy is critical to confident, responsible use

• Responsibility requires interdisciplinary skill and local ownership

• Leadership means acting with explainability, not just authority

• People follow people - trust starts with example

🎙️ Quote Highlights

“Trust is good, but control is better.”
“We need a much more integrated approach.”
“Lead by example; people follow people.”

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – From Humanities to Ethical AI
03:06 – Trust in Technology: The Role of Control
06:03 – Translating Ethics into Practice
09:01 – Compliance vs. Responsibility
11:45 – Cross-Sector Collaboration
14:39 – Regulation as a Tool for Innovation
17:43 – Data Governance in AI
20:42 – AI Literacy and Employee Empowerment
23:29 – Future Skills in AI Governance
26:48 – Sustainability and System Awareness
29:30 – Leading by Example

Links

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-kift/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/in-between-trust-podcast/

“Slow trust builds faster futures.”

with Stefan Schoepfel, Founder of the Value AI Institute

In this episode of the in-between trust podcast, Eva Simone Lihotzky speaks with Stefan Schoepfel, founder of the Value AI Institute, about how we lead—and trust—in an era shaped by intelligent systems. They explore what it means to embed ethical principles, emotional intelligence, and leadership clarity into AI development and deployment.

Stefan shares why trust must take a much larger space in the conversation, how unlearning linear thinking unlocks innovation, and how responsibility must move beyond compliance toward genuine accountability. From governance to culture, this episode is a call to stay human—and stay in the driver’s seat.

___

🔑 Takeaways

• Trust is foundational for user acceptance and systemic success.

• Ethical principles must guide both design and deployment.

• AI leadership requires emotional intelligence and clear oversight.

• Organizations must embed ethics into processes—not just policies.

• Responsible tech can support sustainability and the societal good.

• Unlearning linear thinking is key to adapting and leading.

• Ongoing trust-building requires visibility and cultural buy-in.

• AI systems must always include human-in-the-loop safeguards.

• Compliance should enable—not hinder—innovation.

• Don’t let tech steer blindly—stay in control.

__

🎙️ Sound Bites

“Trust needs to take a much larger space.”
“AI must comply with ethical principles.”
“Stay in the driver's seat with technology.”
“Unlearning is as vital as innovation.”
“Leadership in AI means embracing ambiguity.”

____

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – Introduction to Trust and AI
02:21 – The Value AI Institute: Mission and Goals
05:28 – The Importance of Trust in AI
09:46 – Ethical Principles and Responsible AI Design
11:20 – Implementing Ethical AI in Organizations
14:06 – The Role of Leadership in AI Systems
16:20 – Building Trust in Teams and Systems
18:07 – Navigating Leadership Challenges with AI
19:24 – The Impact of AI on Ethical Usage
22:50 – AI for Societal Good and Sustainability
25:45 – Unlearning Linear Thinking in AI
28:19 – Embracing Ambiguity in AI Leadership
29:33 – Key Takeaways on Technology and Trust

___

🧩 Keywords

AI, trust, ethical AI, Value AI Institute, leadership, responsible tech, societal good, emotional intelligence, organizational culture, ambiguity, unlearning, governance

‚Truth by code is a strong asset‘ -

with Anna Spitznagel, CEO of trail.ai

In the first episode of the in-between trust podcast, Eva Simone Lihotzky speaks with Anna Spitznagel—co-founder and CEO of trail.ai—about building trust at the heart of AI governance. Anna shares her journey designing a “co-pilot” for responsible AI systems, and explores how transparency, organizational culture, and technical rigor intersect in shaping trustworthy innovation.

Together, they dive into what it means to build “truth by code,” how compliance can enable—not hinder—progress, and why literacy, leadership, and lived experience are essential in navigating the AI era. Anna also opens questions about the future of trust across ecosystems—from upstream model providers to everyday users.

⸻

🔑 Takeaways

• ​ Trust is the starting point for meaningful AI adoption.
• ​ Transparency and quality must be designed into both code and culture.
• ​ Responsible leadership requires communication, clarity, and tolerance for mistakes.
• ​ Literacy in AI is not optional—it’s foundational to ethical use.
• ​ Governance can be a growth engine, not just a constraint.
• ​ The best AI use cases start with real problems, not hype.
• ​ 80% of AI projects don’t reach production—trust structures can change that.
• ​ Trust builds through use, experience, and critical questioning.
• ​ Future trust will require cooperation across the AI supply chain.

⸻

🎙️ Sound Bites

“Trust is my personal highest value.”

“Truth by code is a strong asset.”

“Literacy is key to understanding AI.”

“Governance is not a blocker—it’s an enabler of scale.”

⸻

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – Introduction to AI Governance and Trust

01:38 – Defining Trust in AI

04:27 – Building Trust in Organizations

10:13 – The Role of Leadership in AI

12:51 – Designing for Transparency

18:58 – Navigating Use Cases & Compliance

23:14 – The Future of Trust in AI

30:45 – Unanswered Questions That Remain

⸻

🧩 Keywords

AI governance, trust, transparency, leadership, compliance, data privacy, organizational culture, literacy, AI use cases, critical reasoning, automation, future of AI

🎙️ with Magnus Strobel, Co-Founder and CEO of Nexus Politics

Trust in politics has been eroding across Western democracies for over a decade, and Magnus Strobel thinks the failure is in how democracy works, in the process that has stopped feeling participatory. His company, Nexus Politics, is a for-profit platform built to map the distance between what citizens actually think and what politicians actually do - and to make that distance impossible to ignore.

🔍 Episode overview

This is a conversation about whether transparency can rebuild participation once the machinery of democracy has stopped feeling participatory. It is also about a quieter problem: how a founder building a trust instrument decides whether anyone actually trusts it.

Magnus Strobel and his team create an architecture for a digital democracy platform: how citizen opinion gets routed to the right political actors, how the system maps public sentiment in real time, and where accountability is supposed to live. The harder questions arrive underneath: Why build this as for-profit rather than not-for-profit, and why that choice is the one that makes political neutrality credible. What politicians say they want from such a tool, and why their enthusiasm might mean less compared to how they use it specifically. It is a founder's conversation that keeps circling back to a single uncertainty: you can build the mechanism for trust, but you cannot yet prove the trust is there.

⚖️ Key themes

• Why the crisis is in how democracy functions, not in democracy itself - and what that distinction changes
• How a for-profit structure becomes the argument for political neutrality
• Mapping the gap between what voters think and what politicians do
• What politicians actually want from civic tech, and why positive feedback is the hardest signal to trust
• Tech as a tool that can repair democratic trust or deepen the damage, depending on who uses it and how

🤝 About the guest

Magnus Strobel is co-founder of Nexus Politics, a digital democracy platform built to rebuild participation and accountability in representative democracies. His background is in behavioral economics, which surfaces throughout the conversation in his attention to the gap between what a system is designed to do and what people actually do with it. He builds from Munich, embedded in the local startup ecosystem, with a stated ambition modelled partly on Taiwan's experience of using participation tools to lift satisfaction with democracy.

🌍 Chapter markers

• [00:09] What comes to mind when a democracy founder thinks about trust
• [02:59] Opening the fragmented machinery of politics - participation, transparency, accountability
• [05:59] Why for-profit is the route to credible neutrality
• [16:08] The hardest part is always reality - and what politicians really want
• [22:49] Can tech rebuild democratic trust, or does it cut both ways
• [35:48] In-between moments: trust, division, and where a founder sits right now

⛓️‍💥 Links

• Nexus Politics:  www.nexuspolitics.org
• Magnus Strobel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/strobelmagnus/
• Audrey Tang / Taiwan digital democracy: https://www.demnext.org/people/audrey-tang
• Rebuild conference, Copenhagen: https://www.rebuild.net
• Related episode - Rebuilding Trust: Tech, Politics and Entrepreneurial Leadership (EP 06)

Europe and China are on different AI paths at different speeds. Vincent Xiang has spent years inside that corridor: He has been working as a translator between Chinese AI founders and European investors and corporates, and this conversation dives into his experiences, conversations, and operations on the ground and in-between.

🧭 Episode overview

European executives are excited about Chinese AI momentum. But they're also stuck before they act. Chinese founders interpret some of Europe's regulations as inefficiency. Both sides are operating with simplified labels that are accurate enough to feel right and wrong enough to produce bad decisions. Vincent walks through what he actually sees on the ground - why trust in China gets delegated to systems rather than built between strangers, why "AI superpower" and "surveillance dystopia" both miss the territory, why fragmentation is now treated as permanent reality by founders, and what European companies serious about engaging China should do before they book a single meeting.

🔍 Key themes discussed

• The different first questions Europe and China ask about new technology, and what each one produces downstream
• Trust as delegated infrastructure - the Alipay escrow story and why people trust the system rather than the strangers in it
• Why both Western labels for Chinese AI are wrong in the same direction, and what gets missed when leaders operate with them
• The three-layer coordination of government, platforms, and institutions in China, and what its absence looks like in Europe
• Fragmentation as the new permanent reality, and why compliance has to be built in as a product feature from day one

👤 About the guest

Vincent Xiang is the founder of China AI Connect, a research and advisory practice helping European investors and corporates evaluate whether Chinese AI is relevant to their strategy, and helping Chinese founders understand the European market. He lived in Germany for seven years, writes the China AI Connect briefings on Chinese AI and deep-tech policy and players, and organises executive trips that bring European leaders to meet founders and operators on the ground. His vantage point is one of the few that sits genuinely between the two systems.

⏱️ Chapter markers

[00:55] The first word that comes to mind: difference

[05:00] People trust the system, not the strangers in it

[12:01] Why "AI superpower" and "surveillance dystopia" both miss the territory

[19:00] Three layers of coordination: government, platforms, institutions

[22:30] Fragmentation as permanent reality, and compliance as a product feature

[35:00] The robotics inflection and what favourable policy makes possible

🔗 Links

Vincent Xiang on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/yxiangeclille/

China AI Connect on Substack - https://vincentxiang.substack.com

AI 2030 / AI Plus initiative reference - https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/xw/zyjh/202509/t20250924_11715960.html

Related episode - Episode on Trust as Geopolitical Requirement: Eva's WEF 2026 recap - https://open.spotify.com/episode/1RKtxdJWXcQH8vnpnDtgEP?si=u_MfnmOvQ2-AXSPRONX6Gw

Opening

This solo episode of The In-Between Tech & Trust Podcast reflects on conversations from Davos and what they reveal about where tech, politics, and trust are heading into 2026. It’s for leaders, operators, and policy-adjacent roles who are trying to make sense of AI adoption beyond tooling. The focus is on what actually changes inside organizations, institutions, and collaborations when AI becomes infrastructure.

🎧 Episode overview

Eva Simone Lihotzky unpacks four threads that kept resurfacing across discussions with tech, political, and business leaders: agentic AI systems, the politics of technology, sovereignty, and the future of collaboration and trust. Rather than reporting speeches, the episode explores tensions beneath the surface - why organizations feel urgency but struggle to act, how AI exposes institutional weaknesses instead of fixing them, and why governance, infrastructure, and responsibility are now inseparable.

The episode moves between business realities and geopolitical dynamics, asking what it really means to design AI-driven organizations, who shapes the rules when tech and politics are interwoven, and how dependence on a small set of platforms reshapes power, accountability, and autonomy.

🔍 Key themes discussed

• Agentic AI systems and why they force a rethink of organizational design

• AI adoption as a platform shift, not a tool rollout

• The gap between AI urgency and practical implementation inside companies

• World models vs. specialized models and why both matter

• Interoperability as an unsolved infrastructure problem

• Tech as both upstream and downstream of politics

• Sovereignty across compute, infrastructure, data, operations, and talent

• Europe’s position in an AI-driven power landscape

• Why collaboration now depends on explicit commitments, not assumptions

• How trust becomes harder - and more necessary - as systems scale