{
  "id": 7300558,
  "title": "How AI Creates a Capability Mirage",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/how-ai-creates-a-capability-mirage",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-14T11:00:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MIT Sloan",
    "slug": "mit-sloan",
    "url": "https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-ai-creates-a-capability-mirage/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Artificial intelligence is creating a mirage effect in organizations, where they appear highly capable on the surface but may be lacking genuine understanding and skills beneath the polished AI-generated output. This is similar to Potemkin villages, the Wizard of Oz, and dry rot in wood, where appearances can be deceiving. AI experts interviewed for a study caution that adopting AI without caution can unintentionally create such illusions, leading to a crumbling of interpersonal trust within teams.",
  "summary": "PPaint/Ikon Images Dry rot. A Potemkin village. The Wizard of Oz. What do those things have in common? In each case, they may look good on the surface, but it’s only an illusion. Wood afflicted with dry rot looks just fine until the tree it’s in topples down. Grigory Potemkin is said to have tried […]",
  "key_points": [
    "AI creates mirage effect in organizations.",
    "Surfaces appear highly capable, but lack genuine understanding.",
    "Experts warn of trust crumbling in teams."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}