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The Incentives Lab
HBT-INC-0016 · Dimension INC · Incentives

AI as Coach vs. AI as Replacement

Augmentation strategy vs. substitution strategy.

Strategy·AI-Behavioral Coupling·Grade C·draft· enriching…

Scientific Definition

Augmentation strategy vs. substitution strategy.

Plain-English Definition

Augmentation strategy vs. substitution strategy.

Feynman Explanation

Coach increases the median. Replacement raises the floor.

Core Principle

Augmentation strategy vs. substitution strategy.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Economic

Pending editorial review.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Pending editorial review.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

Coach increases the median. Replacement raises the floor.

Examples

Everyday
  • Doctors with AI outperform AI alone in many domains.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Strategic positioning of AI in workflows.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Choose deliberately. Don't drift between them.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
C (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
Strategic positioning of AI in workflows.
Amplifying Incentives
Strategic positioning of AI in workflows.
Org Failure Modes
Strategic positioning of AI in workflows.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Choose deliberately. Don't drift between them.
Diagnostic Questions
  • Choose deliberately. Don't drift between them.
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Choose deliberately. Don't drift between them.
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-INC-0016 · INC
AI as Coach vs. AI as Replacement
AAAMAI Maturity ModelASAI Strategy as Capab…AVAugmentation vs. Aut…BVBuild vs. Buy vs. Pa…COCapability OverhangFiFine-TuningOVOpen vs. Closed ModelsVLVendor Lock-In RiskAUAcceptable Use Polic…ACAdoption Curve (AI)

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

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