Artificial intelligence is becoming more common in health and benefits. But many HR and benefits leaders believe they are behind the rest of their organization in AI deployment. According to our 2026 AI Use in Health and Benefits Survey, that gap isn't due to a lack of intent. In fact, most HR teams expect AI adoption in benefits to accelerate sharply over the next two years.
The direction of travel is clear. But the survey also reveals a growing tension: ambitious timelines, limited resources and uneven readiness are colliding just as expectations rise.
Where employers are starting — and why
Employers aren't trying to apply AI everywhere at once. Instead, the survey shows interest in clustering around high value use cases:
- Employee communications and experience, including more personalized, timely and targeted benefits guidance
- Data analytics and insights to improve cost visibility, evaluation and oversight
- Decision support and personalization to help employees make better choices and reduce downstream costs
These priorities reflect where HR leaders believe AI can deliver the greatest impact — improving the employee experience while strengthening decision‑making. They also sit closest to compliance, privacy and trust, where the stakes are higher and progress is harder, even as interest grows.
Ambition is high — readiness isn't
The biggest barrier isn't skepticism about AI’s potential. It's the capacity to execute.
The survey highlights a clear readiness gap:
- 71% of benefits teams’ report limited or no access to internal AI skills and resources, even when enterprise AI capabilities exist elsewhere
- Risk concerns are most acute where financial and fiduciary exposure is highest, including data privacy, AI errors and compliance risk
- Only 1% of employers report having a fully developed AI roadmap or governance framework specific to benefits
This creates a fundamental challenge: expectations for rapid acceleration are rising faster than the foundations required to scale.
What early adopters are doing differently
A smaller subset of employers is already further along. These early adopters tend to share several qualities:
- They are larger organizations with greater access to resources
- They focus on a narrow, prioritized set of use cases rather than broad experimentation
- They are more likely to use third-party partners to accelerate progress
- They put governance and guardrails in place early to manage risk and build confidence
Their experience underscores a critical lesson: AI progress in benefits depends less on technology and more on operating model choices — what to build, what to buy and how to govern it.
Productivity gains — not workforce reduction
Notably, HR leaders don't see AI as a tool for reducing headcount. Instead, respondents consistently expect AI to:
- Increase HR staff productivity
- Enable teams to shift time toward higher-value work
- Improve effectiveness without shrinking teams
Whether these expectations ultimately align with broader financial pressures remains an open question. But within HR, the intent is clear: AI is viewed as an enabler, not a replacement.
Turning insights into action
AI in benefits isn't just a technology discussion. It's a leadership and execution challenge. Organizations that move the fastest — and most confidently — will be those that:
- Focus first on where AI delivers measurable impact
- Build the data, operating and governance foundations to support scale
- Translate enterprise AI capability into practical, benefits ready action
- Move deliberately from pilots to practice
The findings show that a shift is already underway — from broad AI ambition to practical execution inside the benefits function, where decisions matter most.
Reach out to participate in an AI in benefits workshop
To help benefits leaders move from insight to execution, we’re hosting individualized workshops with survey participants designed to:
- Identify where AI delivers value in your benefits program
- Assess readiness and deployment gaps across data, governance and operating model
- Prioritize practical next steps tailored to your organization
Ready to explore your AI readiness? Connect with us to talk through the findings and implications for your organization.
