Production with and by AI

Last registered on August 04, 2026
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Production with and by AI
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0019010
Initial registration date
June 24, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
June 29, 2026, 9:20 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
August 04, 2026, 3:21 PM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Primary Investigator

Name
John Conlon
Affiliation
Carnegie Mellon University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2026-07-06
End date
2026-09-30
Keywords
Behavior
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Our experiment involves participants designing a product (a web game) with an AI coding agent to sell to other participants.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Conlon, John. 2026. "Production with and by AI." AEA RCT Registry. August 04. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.19010-2.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Participants design a product (a web game) with an AI coding agent. We also vary whether and when participants see the AI design the game itself (i.e., without human input).
Intervention Start Date
2026-07-06
Intervention End Date
2026-09-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
WTPs (predicted and actual), pride and enjoyment measures, beliefs about ability.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
See above.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
By a computer.
Randomization Unit
Person level
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
300 participants.

August 4, 2026 update: The original experiment recruited 297 participants. The new experiment recruiting those who work in creative jobs (including graphic designers, game developers, content creators, and copywriters) will include up to 180 participants, unless we cannot recruit this many participants with these jobs from Prolific. In that case, we will recruit as many as we can.
Sample size: planned number of observations
300 participants, split across three treatment groups. The first treatment group sees the AI design a game after they design their first game. The second treatment group sees the AI design a game only after they design their second game. The final treatment group does not see the AI design a game at all. We exclude (by asking to return the study) participants who give more than three incorrect answers to comprehension questions. August 4, 2026 update: See above about the up to 180 new participants.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
In expectation: 100 see the AI design after they design their first game, 100 only after they design their second game, and 100 not at all.

August 4, 2026 update: Same randomization probabilities as the original experiment.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Carnegie Mellon University
IRB Approval Date
2026-05-07
IRB Approval Number
IRBSTUDY2016_000000482
Analysis Plan