Prudential Financial, Inc. published the second part of its 2026 Benefits & Beyond study, which shows a big perception gap between the large companies that are very enthusiastic about the introduction of artificial intelligence and the cautious workforces that are unsure about using automated tools for benefits support. Based on the study, more than 8 out of 10 employers (83%) strongly want to use AI to help employees with complicated plan selections, but only 58% of workers say they would use AI for this purpose, and only 24% of them use the technology for benefits administration today.
Data privacy and trust are the key reasons behind the 27-point difference in perceptions. Privacy and security are the top concerns for both groups (49% of employers vs. 52% of employees), but workers are twice as likely as leaders to say they do not trust AI at a basic level (25% vs. 12%). If not handled properly, this disagreement can bring the abandonment of the automated human resource tools the companies were planning to introduce. Because of this, it is the duty of the leadership to actively address concerns about the accuracy of the AI’s output, its ethical use, and the security of data. Despite these hurdles, a baseline openness exists for personalization: 65% of employees remain comfortable with their employers utilizing personal data to tailor corporate perks, surging to 75% within specialized technology sectors.
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Highlighting how proactive trust-building must serve as a prerequisite to successful technological deployment, Michael Estep, President of Prudential Group Insurance, stated: “AI can make benefits simpler, more personalized and easier to use, but employees won’t embrace it unless they trust it. That means helping people understand how these tools work, how their data is protected, and how AI can strengthen the human support they still want and need when making important benefits decisions.”
Underscoring the immediate economic and educational potential of closing this multi-sided communication gap, Scott Roth, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Prudential Group Insurance, concluded: “Employee benefits is one of the clearest applications for AI given how complex and individual these decisions can be. Many employees still struggle to navigate their benefits options. AI can help simplify that, but they need confidence in the guidance they receive and how their information is handled. When that trust is in place, it can drive stronger engagement and better outcomes.”
