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Science

Experimental evidence on the productivity effects of generative artificial intelligence

2023-07-141485 citationsDOI 10.1126/science.adh2586

Shakked Noy · Whitney Zhang

Research summary

In a preregistered experiment with 453 professionals, ChatGPT access reduced task time by 40% and increased assessed output quality by 18%. Lower-skill participants benefited most on the short writing tasks studied.

Evidence strengths

  • Random assignment
  • Preregistered experiment
  • Incentivized occupation-specific tasks

Limitations

  • Short and self-contained tasks
  • College-educated sample
  • Primarily immediate outcomes

Topics

  • Human-AI Interaction
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Learning

Connected claims

  • Supports

    Human-AI collaboration does not reliably outperform the better standalone human or AI; results depend strongly on the task and interaction design.

    Randomized access to ChatGPT improved speed and quality on bounded professional writing tasks, especially for lower-skill participants.

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