The Effects of Generative AI on High Skilled Work: Evidence from Three Field Experiments with Software Developers

Abstract

This study evaluates the impact of generative AI on software developer productivity by analyzing data from three randomized controlled trials conducted at Microsoft, Accenture, and an anonymous Fortune 100 electronics manufacturing company. These field experiments, which were run by the companies as part of their ordinary course of business, provided a randomly selected subset of developers with access to GitHub Copilot, an AI-based coding assistant that suggests intelligent code completions. Though each separate experiment is noisy, combined across all three experiments and 4,867 software developers, our analysis reveals a 26.08% increase (SE: 10.3%) in the number of completed tasks among developers using the AI tool. Notably, less experienced developers showed higher adoption rates and greater productivity gains.

JEL Classification: J24, O32, O33