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In a randomised trial, 16 experienced open-source developers believed AI tools had made them 20% faster. Measured against issues they finished without AI, they were 19% slower

METR conducted a randomized controlled trial in early 2025 to measure the impact of AI tools on the productivity of 16 experienced open-source developers. The study found that developers took 19% longer to complete issues when using AI tools compared to working without them. This contrasted with the developers' belief that AI had made them 20% faster.

SourceMETR·July 2025

Verified 2026-08-01

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