PART 1 · CHAPTER 06 · Where We Actually Are

The Capability Overhang

There is more latent power in today's models than we have built products to express. The overhang is enormous.

Preview map · Updated July 16, 2026

WHAT THIS PAGE CONTAINS

A title, the published opening thesis and the chapter's section headings. The argument, evidence, examples and full prose remain in the book.

The chapter's route

  1. 01The Unused Room
  2. 02The Dynamo Problem
  3. 03Abilities After Arrival
  4. 04Scaffolding Changes the Animal
  5. 05The Printing Press Lesson
  6. 06Why Imagination Lags
  7. 07Benchmarks Are Flashlights
  8. 08The Hidden Surface Area of Work
  9. 09From Prompting to Operating Systems
  10. 10Compounding Overhang
  11. 11The Error of Waiting for Perfect
  12. 12The Builder's Map
  13. 13Why This Is Good News
  14. 14The Overhang Above Us
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