AI won't solve the hard problems in benefits

If I hear one more pitch from someone with twenty minutes of experience start with a promise to “revolutionize benefits with AI,” I’m going to lose it.

I love AI. I love creativity and innovation.

But the hard problems in this work aren’t going to be solved by prompt engineering.

They’re solved by experts who see the future because they’ve learned from the past.

What does this plan document actually say, and why? Which vendor is selling you a tax position that won’t survive an audit? Does the renewal you’re being handed treat your employees like a number, or like people?

Move fast and break things doesn’t work when what breaks is access to care, or the law.

I’m an optimist about the tech. I use it every day. In the hands of operators who know what they’re doing, it unlocks things we couldn’t do five years ago. In the hands of someone with twenty minutes in the business, it’s a faster way to be wrong.

What’s the worst pitch you’ve gotten this year?