3-month RCT: AI boosts senior lawyers' judgment but leaves junior lawyers' skills flat
erikphoel · x · 2026-10-08
A three-month randomized controlled trial with practicing patent attorneys found that routine AI use lifts work quality across the board, but on-the-job learning effects split by seniority: senior lawyers using AI for 90 days showed stronger judgment than controls, while junior lawyers gained no average skill, their scores polarizing into more highs and more lows. The thread cites this as evidence for Erik Hoel's take that learners should avoid AI until their skills are developed enough to truly benefit.
Related event: Google RCT: AI Boosts Senior Lawyers' Judgment, Not Juniors'(2 posts)→
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