This weekly update brings important news about how people and businesses are learning to trust AI agents - computer programs that can work on their own to help us.

Trust in AI agents is going down, not up. A big study found that only 27% of people trust fully independent AI agents now, compared to 43% just one year ago. People are worried about their personal information being safe and whether AI agents will make fair choices.

But businesses still want to use AI agents everywhere. Companies expect these smart helpers to be part of most business jobs within three years. They think AI agents will help workers do 65% more valuable tasks and be 53% more creative.

Only 2% of companies have fully started using AI agents across their whole business. Most are still testing them in small projects. Almost all business leaders think they need to start using AI agents within 12 months to stay competitive.

Some groups are working to make AI agents more trustworthy. Consumer Reports met with tech experts to talk about how to make sure AI agents really help people, not trick them. They want to create clear rules so people know which AI agents they can trust.

Companies are being more careful about how they use AI agents. They're making sure humans still make the big important decisions. In hospitals, AI agents can help decide where to put patients, but doctors and nurses still have the final say.

The AI agent market is growing very fast. It was worth $5.1 billion in 2024 and could reach $47 billion soon. But the biggest challenge is still getting people to trust these new AI helpers.