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The Incentives Lab
HBT-INC-0276 · Dimension INC · Incentives

Total Cost of Ownership (AI)

Real cost includes data, ops, monitoring, governance, training.

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

Scientific Definition

Real cost includes data, ops, monitoring, governance, training.

Plain-English Definition

Real cost includes data, ops, monitoring, governance, training.

Feynman Explanation

The model is the cheapest part.

Core Principle

Real cost includes data, ops, monitoring, governance, training.

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

The model is the cheapest part.

Examples

Everyday
  • Enterprise deployments where ops costs exceed model costs many-fold.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Budget surprises predictable.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Estimate TCO honestly before committing. 5x your initial estimate.

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
Budget surprises predictable.
Amplifying Incentives
Budget surprises predictable.
Org Failure Modes
Budget surprises predictable.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Estimate TCO honestly before committing. 5x your initial estimate.
Diagnostic Questions
  • Estimate TCO honestly before committing. 5x your initial estimate.
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Estimate TCO honestly before committing. 5x your initial estimate.
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-0276 · INC
Total Cost of Ownership (AI)
TCAPAI Productivity Para…CECompute EconomicsCSCost-Per-Token Strat…FMFoundation Model Con…IVInference vs. Traini…PCPrompt CachingAUAcceptable Use Polic…ACAdoption Curve (AI)AgAgentALAgentic Liability

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

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