55.8%About 6 in 10faster: freelance developers with GitHub Copilot finished one JavaScript server task in 71 minutes vs 161 without it (2022 test)
55.8% faster: freelance developers with GitHub Copilot finished one JavaScript server task in 71 minutes vs 161 without it (2022 test) (May to Jun 2022, Cornell University (arXiv), arXiv preprint server)
StudyChecked at source, 23 Oct 2026All sizesGlobalWeb and software development · AI productivity
55.8% faster: freelance developers with GitHub Copilot finished one JavaScript server task in 71 minutes vs 161 without it (2022 test) (May to Jun 2022).
55.8%
the latest figure (May to Jun 2022)
Study
type of source
Why you can trust it. Cornell University (arXiv), arXiv preprint server: study, experiment or academic paper. 95 professional freelance developers recruited on Upwork (45 with Copilot, 50 without); the paper says thirty-five from both groups completed the task and survey. Most aged 25-34, mainly from India and Pakistan.
55.8% faster: freelance developers with GitHub Copilot finished one JavaScript server task in 71 minutes vs 161 without it (2022 test)
Data period
May to Jun 2022 (ends 20 Jun 2022)
Published by the source
13 Feb 2023
Who is counted
95 professional freelance developers recruited on Upwork (45 with Copilot, 50 without); the paper says thirty-five from both groups completed the task and survey. Most aged 25-34, mainly from India and Pakistan.
In the source's words
The treatment group, with access to the AI pair programmer, completed the task 55.8% faster than the control group.
Checked at source
23 Oct 2026: Read on arxiv.org abstract and full paper (Peng, Kalliamvakou, Cihon, Demirer). Matches data.js value; ADDED sample size: 95 Upwork developers recruited (45 Copilot, 50 control); 95% CI 21% to 89%. One task, not overall productivity.
Reuse
Per-paper licence; cite authors and arXiv ID. Preprints are not always peer reviewed. Cite the paper, not arXiv as the author.
No changes recorded yet. First checked at the source on 23 Oct 2026.
Cite this number
APA
Cornell University (arXiv). (2023). 55.8% faster: freelance developers with GitHub Copilot finished one JavaScript server task in 71 minutes vs 161 without it (2022 test). Via digitaltreed, https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/web-development/copilot-controlled-experiment-task-speed
MLA
"55.8% faster: freelance developers with GitHub Copilot finished one JavaScript server task in 71 minutes vs 161 without it (2022 test)." Cornell University (arXiv), arXiv preprint server, May to Jun 2022. digitaltreed, https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/web-development/copilot-controlled-experiment-task-speed.
HTML link
<a href="https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/web-development/copilot-controlled-experiment-task-speed">55.8% faster: freelance developers with GitHub Copilot finished one JavaScript server task in 71 minutes vs 161 without it (2022 test)</a> (Cornell University (arXiv), May to Jun 2022)
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FAQ
Questions about this number
What is the latest figure for AI productivity (Global)?
55.8% faster: freelance developers with GitHub Copilot finished one JavaScript server task in 71 minutes vs 161 without it (2022 test), for May to Jun 2022, according to Cornell University (arXiv), arXiv preprint server. We checked it at the source on 23 Oct 2026.
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