Anthropic studied how AI assistance affects coding skill development. Using a controlled trial with software developers, the research found that AI can accelerate task completion but may reduce mastery of new coding concepts.
Participants who used AI scored about 17 percent lower on a quiz measuring comprehension after completing tasks with AI support, compared to those who coded without help. The effect was strongest in areas like debugging and code reading.
The research also showed that how developers interact with AI matters: those who asked for explanations alongside code generation retained more knowledge. The study highlights a trade-off between speed and deep learning.
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