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The Incentives Lab
HBT-COG-0075 · Dimension COG · Cognition

Automation Bias

Favoring suggestions from automated systems over conflicting human judgment.

Decision·Mental Model·Grade B·draft· enriching…

Scientific Definition

Favoring suggestions from automated systems over conflicting human judgment.

Plain-English Definition

Favoring suggestions from automated systems over conflicting human judgment.

Feynman Explanation

If the dashboard says it, it must be true.

Core Principle

Favoring suggestions from automated systems over conflicting human judgment.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Economic

Favoring suggestions from automated systems over conflicting human judgment.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

AI-era decision-making is structurally vulnerable to this bias.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

If the dashboard says it, it must be true.

Examples

Everyday
  • Ignoring a sales rep's intuition because the forecast model disagrees.
Modern (Organizational)
  • AI-era decision-making is structurally vulnerable to this bias.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Pair every model output with the question: 'What would override this?'

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
B (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★★☆☆
Intervention Confidence
3 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
AI-era decision-making is structurally vulnerable to this bias.
Amplifying Incentives
AI-era decision-making is structurally vulnerable to this bias.
Org Failure Modes
AI-era decision-making is structurally vulnerable to this bias.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Pair every model output with the question: 'What would override this?'
Diagnostic Questions
  • Pair every model output with the question: 'What would override this?'
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Pair every model output with the question: 'What would override this?'
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-COG-0075 · COG
Automation Bias
ABRu10/10/10 RuleAbAbsent-MindednessABAlternative BlindnessAPAlternative PathsAPAnalysis ParalysisAnAnchoringADAsian Disease ProblemABAttentional BiasBEBezold EffectBRBounded Rationality

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.