A study by MIT economist David Autor involving 133 intellectual property lawyers found that AI improved drafting quality for all participants during the experiment, but only senior lawyers retained a significant advantage (0.45 standard deviations) once the tool was removed. Junior lawyers showed no average improvement after the three-month trial ended. The study concludes that foundational expertise is necessary to derive lasting value from AI, without which the tool may raise work quality without developing the skills of the person producing it. Published as a working paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), the findings raise questions about the long-term impact of AI on the professional development of younger workers.
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