Why AI doesn’t need to be perfect to be trusted

As AI becomes part of courts, healthcare and other critical public services, how do we build systems that people can trust? In this episode of The Digital Lighthouse, Zoe Cunningham is joined by Alex Wolff, Public Sector Director at Softwire, who has spent more than 20 years helping government, NHS and healthcare organisations deliver complex digital transformation. Together, they explore why comparing AI to perfection is the wrong benchmark, how to balance automation with human judgement, and what responsible AI looks like in practice. You’ll hear about: Why AI should be compared with today’s systems, not an ideal world When mistakes are acceptable, and when they simply aren’t Why humans remain central to trustworthy AI Three practical principles for building safe AI systems How AI could make public services more accessible, personalised and efficient Whether you’re working in government, healthcare or any organisation deploying AI in high-stakes environments, this episode offers practical lessons for building technology people can trust.