A new study by AI research group METR gave pro developers AI tools like Cursor… and it actually slowed them down by 19%.
- They expected a 20% speed boost — got the opposite
- AI suggestions were “almost right” but took longer to fix than coding from scratch
- Yet devs kept using it… because it felt easier and less stressful
The takeaway? AI won’t replace your skills — but it might make the job feel less painful.