Compare tools using precommitted criteria rather than demos, authority or the first price shown.
Open situation →Reasoning Practice · Starter
The polished demo proves too much
A vendor presents a fluent AI assistant in a polished demo. The team begins describing the product as reliable and intelligent, although the critical workflow was not tested with company data.
Your decision
What should the team require next?
Show the best first move
A. A scripted test against predefined capabilities, failure cases and company data.
Why this move helps
Humanlike presentation can inflate perceived capability. Predefined criteria force the product to demonstrate the task that matters in the real environment.
Evidence still missing
- Performance on the critical workflow.
- Failure behaviour and escalation paths.
- Evidence under the organisation’s data and controls.
Evidence note
Anthropomorphism is a relevant lens for capability inference from presentation. The demo may still represent real capability, which must be tested directly.
Next action
Run the same evidence-based acceptance test for every serious vendor.
Best first lens
Anthropomorphism
Use the lens to ask a better question. It does not prove that a person or team has a cognitive bias.
Other defensible lenses
The situation may have more than one explanation.
Continue the path
Situation → skill → technique → action.
You can separate a persuasive claim from the evidence that should change your mind.
Build this skill →Fix the comparison dimensions before a preferred option makes the criteria move.
Run the technique →