AI Matters
Why it matters
Research shows AI coding assistants struggle to estimate task duration
The Decoder AI agents have no sense of time and are not aware of it
A new study found that AI coding assistants systematically overestimate how long tasks will take, with some models off by as much as ten times the actual duration.
Why it matters
Users relying on AI agents to manage complex, multi-step tasks should expect inaccurate timelines and overly optimistic self-evaluations.
Latest brief · Aug 31, 2026