Washington, D.C., December 11, 2025 – A new report released today by The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) and Kanter Strategies details how large employers are using artificial intelligence (AI) to help workers access employee benefits and improve their delivery by human resources (HR). The report, “AI in HR Benefits: A Framework for Use Cases,” also identifies potential regulatory challenges for employers governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), overviews the increasingly fragmented policy environment, and offers key questions for federal policymakers as they navigate where AI policy is headed next.
“It is exciting that employers are using AI to better serve their workforce and streamline routine back-end processes related to benefits delivery. The rapid pace of AI innovation also requires us to be intentional about preserving what already works – the employers’ ability to design and administer plans tailored to the needs of their workforce, a strength supported by ERISA,” said James Gelfand, ERIC President and CEO. “At the same time, it’s critical to avoid patchworks that increase compliance burdens and add unnecessary complexity. With a half-century of experience providing benefits to workers and families nationwide, ERIC member companies are committed to being a resource as lawmakers address the intersection of compliance, benefit design, and technological change.”
The report highlights several examples from ERIC member companies, from using AI to assist employees with benefits navigation, to streamlining HR processes, and even providing personalized support. Companies vary in their use of AI, from early pilots to advanced implementations across HR and broader business functions.
AI in HR benefits was evaluated using a three-factor framework:
- Factor 1 – Core Employee Lifecycle Stages: When AI is used across onboarding, growth and retention, and offboarding.
- Factor 2 – Key Benefit Categories: What benefit categories AI supports, including health administration, retirement, leave, payroll, and learning.
- Factor 3 – Users and Roles: How AI is used by employees as front-end users and by employers as back-end users in supportive or proactive roles.
Finally, the paper outlines key policy questions for federal lawmakers as they consider crafting AI policy that may impact the administration of workplace benefits. Among those considerations are how a risk-based approach can enable companies to continue deploying low-risk AI tools in HR benefits like the ones illustrated in this report—as well as how liability should be allocated between AI developers and deployers, especially in the context of fiduciary and other responsibilities within employer-sponsored benefit plans.
Read the full report here.
