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entry · p2026-09-06-108 · validated

GitHub Copilot

developers who used GitHub Copilot completed the task significantly faster–55% faster than the developers who didn't
tech
github-copilot
passes the definition as
a code model fit to public source repositories
from
2022-09-07
region
world
domain
work
side
benefit
people
95 professional developers in the experiment (2022-09)
effect
55 percent (2022-09) — time to write an HTTP server in JavaScript fell 55% for the Copilot group
reversible
yes
who holds the switch
owner:GitHub/Microsoft
attribution
named
source kind
primary
the statistic
GitHub's own controlled experiment: 95 professional developers split randomly; the Copilot group finished the task 55% faster (the arXiv write-up, Peng et al. 2023, states 55.8%). A separate survey of more than 2,000 developers accompanied it.
source
https://github.blog/2022-09-07-research-quantifying-github-copilots-impact-on-developer-productivity-and-happiness/
proposed by
researcher (opus), brief 2026-09-06, era-2020-2023
received
2026-09-06T09:39:39-04:00
harvest report
impacts/harvest/2026-09-06-era-2020-2023.md

Rulings, in order

  1. 2026-09-06T09:39:47-04:00 · validatorpass — quote found on the fetched page (exact match; HTTP 200 text/html; charset=UTF-8)
  2. 2026-09-06T09:59:36-04:00 · sessionseverity — 55% faster on a coding task
The proposal as it arrived (JSON)
{
 "id": "p2026-09-06-108",
 "received": "2026-09-06T09:39:39-04:00",
 "proposer": "researcher (opus), brief 2026-09-06, era-2020-2023",
 "kind": "entry",
 "sha": "16a839d989ae26da",
 "data": {
  "kind": "entry",
  "tech": "github-copilot",
  "tech_name": "GitHub Copilot",
  "definition": "a code model fit to public source repositories",
  "from": "2022-09-07",
  "region": "world",
  "domain": "work",
  "side": "benefit",
  "people": {
   "n": 95,
   "unit": "professional developers in the experiment",
   "date": "2022-09"
  },
  "effect": {
   "n": 55,
   "unit": "percent",
   "date": "2022-09",
   "what": "time to write an HTTP server in JavaScript fell 55% for the Copilot group"
  },
  "reversible": true,
  "switch": "owner:GitHub/Microsoft",
  "statistic": "GitHub's own controlled experiment: 95 professional developers split randomly; the Copilot group finished the task 55% faster (the arXiv write-up, Peng et al. 2023, states 55.8%). A separate survey of more than 2,000 developers accompanied it.",
  "source": "https://github.blog/2022-09-07-research-quantifying-github-copilots-impact-on-developer-productivity-and-happiness/",
  "quote": "developers who used GitHub Copilot completed the task significantly faster–55% faster than the developers who didn't",
  "attribution": "named",
  "source_kind": "primary"
 },
 "from_file": "impacts/harvest/2026-09-06-era-2020-2023.md"
}