RCTs & Human Uplift Studies: Methodological Challenges and Practical Solutions for Frontier AI Evaluation

ArXi:2603.11001v1 Announce Type: cross Human uplift studies - or studies that measure AI effects on human performance relative to a status quo, typically using randomized controlled trial (RCT) methodology - are increasingly used to inform deployment, governance, and safety decisions for frontier AI systems. While the methods underlying these studies are well-established, their interaction with the distinctive properties of frontier AI systems remains underexamined, particularly when results are used to inform high-stakes decisions.