Leading benefits professionals buying into AI, with caution

• Key insight: Learn why benefits leaders are requiring human intervention alongside new AI tools.
• Expert quote: "AI... should never replace empathy, human judgment, or meaningful conversations." — Doretha Polite, HR Director
• Forward look: Prepare for benefits leaders to evaluate AI's impact on plan costs and long-term sustainability.
  Source: Bullets generated by AI with editorial review.

Benefit leaders are embracing — but also bracing for — AI as a key tool to improve processes and expedite employee concerns, while also cautioning employers to apply copious scrutiny and human intervention.
"From an organizational perspective, AI can significantly reduce administrative workload by automating routine inquiries and allowing HR professionals to focus on more strategic, people-centered work," said Heather Newton, director of talent and training at domestic violence services provider Child & Family Center.

"However, AI should be viewed as a tool that enhances — not replaces — the human element," she added. "With hybrid remote workplaces and AI, human connection has been a growing topic and need for employees."

Newton, a 2026 EBN Excellence in Benefits Winner, echoed the sentiments of many of her fellow awardees, including Jessica DeVenuta, most recently senior benefits manager at educational supplier Lakeshore Learning Materials.

"I think AI is going to be one of the defining conversations in HR and benefits, although I approach its expansion with a healthy amount of caution," she said. "HR decisions can involve someone's health, livelihood, family, finances, and ability to work, and those situations require empathy, context, judgment and nuance that technology cannot replicate. That said, I do see opportunities for AI to optimize administrative processes and help benefits professionals spend less time on repetitive work and more time supporting employees."

Read more: While AI shrinks entry-level tech jobs, Gen Z isn't giving up

Another 2026 EIB winner, Matthew Owenby, chief administrative officer and chief human resources officer at insurance company Aflac, agreed that AI will offload repetitive work, and also assist with the industry's evolution to more personalized benefits administration.

"The organizations that will stand out are those that use data responsibly to deliver more relevant benefits education, targeted communications, and personalized support without creating complexity," he said. "As AI and digital tools continue to evolve, I believe we'll see a significant shift from one-size-fits-all benefits strategies to more personalized experiences that help employees make informed decisions and maximize the value of the programs available to them."

In addition to customization, benefit leaders are expecting AI to elevate employees' usage to align with the kind of user experiences they've come to expect in their daily lives. 

"Technology, particularly AI, will play a huge role, not by replacing HR, but by helping teams and employees get the right answers at the right time," said Amber Burkett, benefits manager at commercial landscaping company LandCare and EIB winner. "Benefits should be as easy to navigate as online banking or shopping."

"Today's workforce expects the same level of simplicity, personalization, and convenience from their benefits experience as they do from other consumer experiences," agreed fellow EIB honoree Melissa Dal Vecchio, senior manager, U.S. health and welfare benefits at bank BMO. "At the same time, advancements in technology, data analytics, and digital tools are creating new opportunities to deliver more tailored, proactive, and meaningful benefits experiences that improve engagement, drive better outcomes, and help employees derive greater value from their benefits."

Enhancement over replacement

Still, leaders emphasize the importance of retaining human guidance over AI — especially as workforces become more disparate and poor engagement rises as a retention risk.

"Technology will continue to improve efficiency, but the organizations that distinguish themselves will be those that use the time technology creates to strengthen human connection," said Doretha Polite, human resources director at nonprofit Texas Civil Rights Project and EIB winner.

"I don't think AI replaces the value of HR," Burkett said. "I think it removes the repetitive questions so HR professionals have more time for the conversations that require empathy, judgment and strategic thinking."

Organizations must also apply longer term thinking to AI implementation. 

"Benefits leaders will need to understand not only the opportunities these technologies present, but also their potential impact on plan costs, affordability, and long-term sustainability," said Dal Vecchio.

HR leaders' trepidation about AI is also evident in the workforce: About half (48%) of employees said they are more concerned about AI today than they were a year ago, and of those, 41% believe the technology is evolving too quickly, according to a survey from professional services firm EY. Among the top employee concerns were negative impact on salary (72%) and fear of losing out on promotions from lack of knowledge (67%), or falling behind from lack of usage at work (66%).

Read more: AI is reshaping jobs, not replacing them

Still, optimistic numbers assure employees and employers alike.

While AI has eliminated jobs, especially entry-level positions, a new study revealed some organizations have had to reverse course. 

For companies that did conduct AI-driven layoffs, 32.7% already rehired between 25% and 50% of the roles they initially eliminated, according to a report from HR solutions platform Careerminds. For those that eliminated roles to make room for AI, 36% of organizations said they had to bring back more than half of those positions.

And a study of 2,000 business decision-makers from commercial real estate and investment management firm JLL found 60% of leaders expect their workforces to grow rather than shrink, with the same percentage expecting AI to reinvent human roles.

A similar ratio of optimism and caution was the overall consensus of the 2026 Excellence in Benefits winners, as summed up by Polite. "AI has tremendous potential to improve efficiency and decision-making, but it should never replace empathy, human judgment, or meaningful conversations," she said. "The future belongs to organizations that successfully combine technology with humanity."

Hear more from the 2026 Excellence in Benefits award winners, and other leading HR and benefits professionals, at our Benefits at Work conference Sept. 14-16 in Las Vegas.