Only 20% of U.S. employers actively implementing AI within benefits programs: survey

Only 20 per cent of U.S. employers report actively operationalizing artificial intelligence within their benefits programs, according to a new survey by WTW.

The survey, which polled more than 300 employers, found that figure is expected to rise drastically, as 72 per cent said they plan to embed AI in their benefits programs within the next two years, signaling a rapid shift from experimentation to execution.

Planned investment signaled that AI is poised to become a core component of benefits operations — particularly to improve communication (68 per cent), data analytics and insights (59 per cent) and personalized support (57 per cent).

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The survey also found early adopters, representing about 16 per cent of employers, are already setting the pace. While early adopters reported stronger internal AI capabilities, many were also leveraging external partners to accelerate near-term impact, especially in areas such as claims monitoring, auditing and evaluation.

Respondents said they expect AI to have either a large or moderate positive impact in the next two years, including benefits operations, analytics, communication and governance. Despite this optimism, 71 per cent of benefits teams reported having limited or no access to the internal AI resources and skills needed to deploy AI effectively, even when enterprise-level AI capabilities existed elsewhere in the organization.

Employers cited data privacy and security (70 per cent), AI mistakes or errors (66 per cent) and legal compliance and fiduciary exposure (64 per cent) as their top barriers. Just one per cent of organizations reported having a fully developed AI roadmap or formal governance framework specific to benefits, although 56 per cent said they’re developing or exploring one.

“AI is moving quickly from pilots to practical application in health and benefits, and employers are deliberate about where they expect it to deliver value,” said Jeff Chandler, North America commercialization leader of health and benefits at WTW, in a press release. “But ambition alone isn’t enough. Scaling AI responsibly requires the right foundations.”

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