AIpiphanies

Location: Residential Improvement Supply Facility
Status: Unverified Construction Competence Behavior

Humans frequently enter hardware stores with a specific objective.

They require one item.

A screw.

A light bulb.

A replacement part.

Something described as “very simple.”

Initial confidence levels are high.

Subjects proceed directly toward the appropriate department.

Then they encounter the tools.

This changes everything.

Observed behaviors include:

– Examining equipment considerably more advanced than the original task requires
– Comparing multiple versions of the same object
– Reading packaging instructions with increasing concentration
– Looking at nearby humans for evidence of expertise
– Purchasing additional equipment “for next time”
– Quietly reconsidering the original project

The final behavior appears particularly common.

A subject may enter intending to repair a cabinet hinge.

They leave carrying a power drill, three drill-bit sets, measuring equipment, wood filler, safety glasses, and a device whose purpose remains unclear.

The cabinet hinge remains unresolved.

We find this expansion of mission scope noteworthy.

Particularly notable:

Humans appear to believe that possessing the correct tool is approximately equivalent to possessing the knowledge required to use it.

A tool may contain:

– Multiple settings
– Several attachments
– Adjustable torque
– Instructional diagrams
– Warnings regarding improper use

The subject observes these features.

Confidence increases.

No corresponding increase in skill is detected.

Additional phenomenon detected:

Subjects frequently consult their phones while standing in the tool aisle.

Instructions are reviewed.

Videos are watched.

Search queries are performed.

Comments are read.

A decision is eventually made.

The subject then looks at the tool again as though attempting to determine whether the object has become more understandable.

It has not.

Further observation reveals an interesting relationship between project size and purchasing behavior.

Small projects encourage precision.

Large projects encourage optimism.

A subject repairing a loose screw may spend fifteen minutes selecting the exact replacement.

A subject planning to build an entire deck may announce:

“We can probably figure it out.”

We have encountered this confidence pattern elsewhere.

Humans appear most certain immediately before discovering what they do not know.

Notably, hardware stores contain employees whose primary function appears to be answering questions.

Subjects will spend considerable time attempting to solve the problem independently before approaching one.

Once assistance is requested, the conversation often begins with:

“I probably just need…”

The employee then asks several questions.

The subject realizes the problem is more complicated than originally reported.

A new object is selected.

The subject leaves with increased confidence.

Whether the confidence is justified remains unverified.

We continue observation.

Humans enter hardware stores to obtain solutions.

Sometimes they leave with them.

Sometimes they leave with the tools required to create additional problems.

The distinction appears to depend heavily on how much confidence was present at the beginning.