The Story We Tell Ourselves

When I heard about the latest ChatGPT release featuring “considered thinking,” it reminded me of an old usability study on Orbitz from back in the Web 1.0 days. Orbitz used to show an interstitial page saying, “Finding the best deals…” while it searched for flights. The study showed that people trusted Orbitz more when the search took longer. Users believed the longer wait time equated to a better deal like Orbitz was out there scouring the corners of the earth to bring them that hidden gem of a fare. It’s funny because we’re doing something similar with AI now.

With these “thinking” robots, we somehow believe the delay makes the result more profound. Imagine if we took this concept to the extreme: an AI that took a whole day to get back to you. You’d probably think that the response was more thoughtful and more valuable. But is it? Or are we simply seduced by the pause, imagining a careful process of deliberation happening behind the scenes? There’s a story we’re telling ourselves here, and it’s powerful. It’s not about the actual result but the perceived care and effort behind it.

As AI continues to develop, this narrative we spin might grow too. We’re likely to see even more elaborate displays of AI “thinking”—all designed to make us feel like we’re getting the best insight possible. But ultimately, it’s the same old story. We value the stories we create around technology just as much as we value what it can do for us.

Steve Berry
Principal, Thought Merchants