This brief paper is about trust. It explores the phenomenon from various angles, with the implicit assumptions that trust can be measured in some ways, that trust can be compared and rated, and that trust is of worth when we consider entities from data, through artificial intelligences, to humans, with side trips along the way to animals. It explores trust systems and trust empowerment as opposed to trust enforcement, the creation of trust models, applications of trust, and the reasons why trust is of worth. The Bigger Picture: We discuss the implications of thinking about trust in different disciplines, including artificial intelligence (AI), data science in general, decision making, and user interaction. In particular, the key point to take away is that trust is a vital component to the computational system when it interacts with humans (which is always) and that understanding it better allows us to craft better systems and interactions. We also extend the debate about AI and trust/trustworthiness.
