AI can guide – but people still want to decide
30.10.25
Here’s something our latest research uncovered: employees aren’t opposed to AI in the workplace – far from it. They see real value in it. But while they welcome AI assistance in some areas, they want to stay control in others – especially when it comes to their benefits.
Millions of us are already using AI every day. We’re leaning on tools like ChatGPT and CoPilot to handle tedious, time-consuming tasks. Getting work done feels faster, smoother and easier. And that adoption is leading to acceptance.
The majority of workers are warming to it – seeing the upside more than before. Employees see how AI can save them time on everyday tasks, provide them with smarter insights to do their jobs better, and open up new opportunities to progress their careers.
Of course, some people are still worried about what AI will mean for them – around a quarter feel AI will make their jobs less secure, and 22% are nervous about new risks it might create.
The generation gap nobody expected
One of the most interesting findings is generational. Millennials tend to see AI as a partner. But Gen Z — the so-called digital natives — are more cautious. Their views are closer to Gen X and Boomers. The likely reason? Entry-level jobs and graduate opportunities are harder to come by, and AI can feel more like a threat than a support.
When it comes to benefits, employees are comfortable with AI helping them – surfacing the right options, suggesting what might fit their needs, even offering advice on choices. With 62% of employees admitting they’re not sure if they’re making the most of their benefits, you can see why people are happy for AI to lend a hand.
But there’s a clear line: employees aren’t ready to let AI make decisions for them. Selecting benefits or authorizing payments? That’s still human territory. They’re not ready to let AI take control…yet.
The five levels of employee comfort with AI are:
Level 1: Discovery aid: Just gives me insights based on how others use benefits.
Level 2: Recommender: Suggests benefits I might need and shows me how to access them.
Level 3: Advisor: Offers expert-style advice and can help complete sign-ups for me.
Level 4: Decision partner: Uses my personal data to make tailored suggestions and choose benefits on my behalf.
Level 5: Agent: Has the authority to select and pay for benefits for me.
Once again, Gen Z workers are more cautious than Millennials about using AI as a decision partner or autonomous agent in benefits management.
For People teams, that’s a crucial insight. Designing trusted AI experiences means knowing exactly where employees are comfortable with support — and where they expect the control to remain with them.
Conclusion
For HR and Reward teams, building AI experiences people truly trust means understanding where employees welcome support – and where they need to stay in control.
Organizations that navigate this balance right see real results: higher engagement, stronger participation in benefits programs, and teams who feel confident making that matter to their lives and families.
The future of AI in benefits isn’t about removing human choice – it’s about empowering it. When employees have the information, delivered at the right time they can make decisions that reflect their needs and values. And that’s exactly what your workforce is asking for.
Download Benifex’s report, ‘How People teams are using AI to cover more ground and deliver better benefits experiences’ to explore how AI is transforming HR and Reward – and what’s coming next for People teams.
