---
id: "quote-magic-trick"
type: "quote"
source_timestamps: ["¶4"]
tags: ["analogy", "psychology"]
related: ["concept-ai-magic-effect", "concept-ai-demystification"]
speaker: "Chiara Longoni, Gil Appel and Stephanie M. Tully"
speakers: ["Chiara Longoni", "Gil Appel", "Stephanie M. Tully"]
quote: "Much like learning how a magic trick works, this knowledge strips away the wonder. With it, the interest in using AI fades."
sources: ["adoption"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-adoption"
originDay: 9
articleStem: "hbr-edu-39-understanding-ai-not-embrace"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/07/why-understanding-ai-doesnt-necessarily-lead-people-to-embrace-it"
sourceTitle: "Why Understanding AI Doesn’t Necessarily Lead People to Embrace It"
---
# The Magic Trick Analogy

> "Much like learning how a magic trick works, this knowledge strips away the wonder. With it, the interest in using AI fades."
>
> — [[entity-chiara-longoni]], [[entity-gil-appel]], and [[entity-stephanie-m-tully]] (¶4)

The governing analogy of the vault. It links the [[concept-ai-magic-effect]] (wonder while the method is hidden) to [[concept-ai-demystification]] (wonder gone once the method is known). The [[entity-org-gw-trustworthy-ai-initiative]] echoes it: "the awe... functions almost like the awe around a magic trick."