Users don't understand what AI can do. Progressive disclosure is how you reveal capabilities at the right pace — preventing both overwhelm and underuse.
Users arrive with mental models shaped by previous technology. They may:
Treat the AI like a search engine (keyword queries)
Treat it like a form (expecting rigid structure)
Underestimate what it can do (asking for less than it offers)
Overestimate what it can do (expecting perfection)
Progressive disclosure bridges the gap between what users think the AI does and what it actually does.