AI boosts junior patent attorneys but may hinder growth
a three-month study found ai assistance improves junior patent attorneys' immediate performance but not their long-term growth, while senior attorneys retain benefits after ai is removed.
a national bureau of economic research study involving 133 patent attorneys found that ai assistance, using google labs' unreleased 'inflow' tool, significantly improved the immediate performance of junior patent attorneys, especially in drafting tasks. however, when the ai was removed, only senior attorneys retained the benefits, while junior attorneys' performance suffered. the study suggests that baseline expertise may be necessary for ai-assisted practice to translate to durable ability. the researchers used a randomized controlled trial design, with blinded patent attorneys scoring results across five categories.