AI for HR: What the Next Era of Employee Benefits Demands

Brandon Weber and Donald DeSantis, founders of Nava Benefits, now an Alliant Company, shared how HR teams can turn interest in AI into practical results.

Their central advice: start with a specific business problem and the outcome you want, then evaluate whether AI is the right tool to help achieve it.

Key takeaways for using AI for HR and employee benefits

• Start with a clear problem and outcome. Identify a recurring HR or benefits challenge, such as repetitive employee questions, low benefits utilization, or time-consuming billing and eligibility work. Define what success looks like before choosing an AI tool.

• Evaluate benefits AI vendors for expertise. Ask how a vendor's AI connects employees to their specific plans, elections, dependents, and eligibility details, and how it keeps benefits information current.

• Check accuracy, privacy, and human support. Look for AI answers that cite their sources and ask clarifying questions when information is missing. Ask how employee data is protected and whether it is used to train AI models. Confirm employees can easily reach a qualified benefits expert.

• Run a focused AI pilot before expanding. Include enthusiastic adopters and skeptical users, define success measures, and set an end date. Use the results to decide whether to expand, adjust, or try another approach.

• Support adoption with hands-on training. If the pilot succeeds, show employees how to use the AI tool with real examples, follow up in team meetings, and encourage leaders to share their successes.

The speakers also discussed how AI for employee benefits could proactively surface relevant resources and help with tasks such as claims appeals. These capabilities could give employees more timely guidance and HR teams more capacity for strategic work.