Developers Thought AI Made Them 24% Faster. They Were Actually 19% Slower.

Author(s): Ahmed M. Abdelfattah Originally published on Towards AI. 16 developers. 246 real tasks. One randomized controlled trial. The results contradict everything vendors claim. and everything developers believe. Same study. Same developers. Same tasks. Three numbers that shouldn’t exist together. Developers expected 24% faster, felt 20% faster, measured 19% slower. The 39-point gap between perception and reality explains why AI productivity feels real but doesn’t measure. Made by Author.The article discusses a study conducted by METR, which found that developers using AI tools believed they were faster, yet measured results showed a 19% slowdown in productivity. The initial expectations were a 24% increase in speed, contrasting the perceived 20% increase, highlighting a significant gap in perception versus reality—39 percentage points. The study’s results suggest developers may feel more productive due to the enjoyment associated with AI tools, rather than actual output, leading to misleading assessments of AI’s effectiveness in software development. Read the full blog for free on Medium. Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming a sponsor. Published via Towards AI