83% of Employers Want AI in Benefits. Only 24% of Employees Use It. Here Are the Platforms Closing That Gap.
By Chris Weinmann, Founder, OVI
Eighty-three percent of employers want artificial intelligence to help workers understand their benefits. Only 24% of employees actually use it today. That 59-point chasm, documented in Prudential's 2026 Benefits & Beyond study (surveying 3,096 employees and 760 employers in January 2026), is the central challenge facing every HR leader planning this year's open enrollment season (Source: Prudential 2026 Benefits & Beyond).
The gap is not just about adoption. It is about trust.
The Employer-Employee Trust Gap
The Prudential data tells a layered story. While 58% of employees say they would use AI for benefits decisions, only 24% have done so — a significant intent-action gap that signals friction in today's tools, not outright rejection of the concept (Source: Prudential 2026).
The perception divide runs even deeper. Seventy-eight percent of employers view AI positively in the benefits context, compared to just 51% of employees — a 27-point perception gap (Source: PLANADVISER). And when asked directly about trust, 25% of employees say they do not trust AI for benefits decisions; only 12% of employers share that concern (Source: Prudential 2026).
Yet there is a clear opening. Approximately 70% of employees want more tailored support during open enrollment, and roughly 90% say they are willing to share personal data if it means receiving personalised benefits recommendations (Source: Prudential 2026). Employees are not opposed to AI. They are waiting for platforms that earn their confidence through transparency, personalisation, and usability.
Five platforms are taking meaningfully different approaches to bridge this gap.
Platform-by-Platform Breakdown
Benepass
Benepass consolidates FSA, HSA, LSA, HRA, and commuter benefits into a single card and mobile app, eliminating paper claims entirely. Its AI layer delivers real-time spending suggestions and personalised nudges — alerting employees when they are under-utilising tax-advantaged accounts or approaching contribution deadlines. According to the company, AI-driven personalisation can increase HSA contribution rates by 15–25% through better education and targeted nudges (vendor-reported figure) (Source: Benepass; Source: Benepass AI webinar). For HR teams, the single-platform approach reduces administrative overhead by removing the need to manage multiple vendor portals. Best suited for US-based companies seeking a modern, mobile-first benefits wallet.
Benifex (formerly Benify)
Benifex is a mobile-first AI benefits portal built for multinational and European employers. The platform uses AI to generate personalised benefit recommendations and proactive nudges that guide employees toward plans aligned with their life stage, family status, and spending patterns. Its strength is in cross-border deployments where employers must harmonise benefit offerings across jurisdictions while meeting local compliance requirements (Source: Benifex; Source: HR Lineup). Benifex's employee-facing UX is designed for self-service, reducing the volume of HR helpdesk queries during open enrollment. Best suited for multinationals with complex European and global benefits programmes.
Darwin by Mercer
Darwin is Mercer's enterprise-grade total rewards platform, purpose-built for multinational organisations managing complex flex-benefits programmes across dozens of countries. Its AI Creative Assistant feature helps benefits teams design and communicate plan options — generating copy, layout suggestions, and personalised employee communications at scale (Source: Darwin by Mercer; Source: People Managing People). Darwin's depth is in configuring highly customised benefit structures (flex credits, voluntary benefits, pension top-ups) and modelling cost scenarios for finance teams. Admin overhead is higher than simpler platforms but justified by the complexity it manages. Best suited for large enterprises with 5,000+ employees across multiple countries.
WTW Rewards AI
Willis Towers Watson launched Rewards AI on February 2, 2026 — a generative AI conversational interface layered on top of WTW's proprietary compensation intelligence dataset (Source: WTW). Unlike the other platforms on this list, Rewards AI targets compensation professionals and HR leaders, not employees directly. Users query total rewards benchmarks, pay equity data, and benefits competitiveness through a natural-language interface instead of navigating traditional survey tools. WTW has expanded Rewards AI across MENA markets, underscoring demand for data-driven total rewards in the Gulf (Source: Consultancy-me). Best suited for compensation-focused enterprises and total rewards teams needing benchmarking intelligence.
Selerix
Selerix is an open enrollment platform with strong adoption in US mid-market companies. The platform is integrating emerging AI personalisation features into its enrollment workflows — guiding employees through plan selection with data-driven recommendations tailored to demographics and prior elections (Source: Selerix; Source: People Managing People). Selerix's core strength is streamlining the annual enrollment process, reducing paper-based workflows, and providing employers with enrollment analytics. Its AI capabilities are earlier-stage than Benepass or Benifex but the platform's focused enrollment UX makes it a practical choice for mid-market benefits teams. Best suited for US mid-market employers prioritising open enrollment efficiency.
Comparison Table
| Platform |
Best For |
AI Feature Set |
Employee-Facing UX |
Admin Overhead |
Pricing Transparency |
| Benepass |
US companies seeking a benefits wallet |
AI nudges, real-time spending suggestions, HSA optimisation |
Single card + app; no paper claims |
Low — single platform |
Published plans available |
| Benifex |
Multinationals with European footprint |
Personalised recommendations, proactive nudges |
Mobile-first self-service portal |
Medium — cross-border config |
Custom pricing |
| Darwin by Mercer |
Large enterprises (5,000+ employees) |
AI Creative Assistant, plan design, comms generation |
Employee portal within total rewards suite |
High — complex flex-benefits setup |
Enterprise contract |
| WTW Rewards AI |
Comp teams and total rewards leaders |
Gen-AI conversational benchmarking interface |
Not employee-facing — analyst/HR tool |
Low — SaaS query interface |
Part of WTW data subscription |
| Selerix |
US mid-market open enrollment |
Emerging AI plan recommendations |
Guided enrollment workflows |
Low-medium — enrollment-focused |
Competitive mid-market pricing |
Buyer Guidance by Company Type
Small to mid-market US employers (under 1,000 employees): Start with Benepass if you need year-round benefits engagement beyond enrollment, or Selerix if your primary pain point is the annual enrollment cycle. Both keep admin overhead low and deliver immediate employee-facing value. Benepass's AI nudging for HSA/FSA optimisation makes it particularly strong for organisations looking to increase tax-advantaged account utilisation.
Multinational employers with European or global operations: Darwin by Mercer handles the most complex multi-country flex-benefits programmes but requires dedicated admin resources. Benifex offers a lighter-weight alternative for multinationals that need cross-border harmonisation without enterprise-grade configurability. Choose Darwin when you manage benefits across 10+ countries with complex flex structures; choose Benifex when mobile-first employee engagement is the priority.
Compensation-focused enterprises and total rewards teams: WTW Rewards AI is the only platform on this list built specifically for compensation intelligence. It is not a benefits administration tool — it is a data-driven benchmarking layer. If your challenge is answering "how competitive are our total rewards" rather than "how do employees enroll," Rewards AI is the right fit.
What This Means for Open Enrollment 2026
The Prudential data makes one thing clear: employees are not rejecting AI in benefits — they are rejecting AI they do not trust. Ninety percent are willing to share personal data for better recommendations. Seventy percent want more personalised enrollment support. The 24% adoption figure reflects a UX and trust problem, not a demand problem.
For HR leaders planning open enrollment in 2026, the platforms above represent five distinct approaches to closing that gap. The right choice depends on your company's size, geographic footprint, and whether the trust gap you need to close is between employees and their benefits or between your comp team and its data (Source: WEX).
What is a benefits wallet vs a total rewards platform?
A benefits wallet consolidates FSA, HSA, LSA, commuter into one card/app for day-to-day spending. A total rewards platform manages design, communication, and administration of all benefits and compensation across an organisation.
How does AI personalise open enrollment?
AI analyses demographics, prior elections, family status, and spending to recommend plans and surface personalised nudges — flagging under-utilised accounts or recommending higher-tier plans based on life stage.
Is it safe to share personal data with AI benefits tools?
Prudential 2026 found 90% of employees willing to share personal data for better recommendations. Verify the platform complies with GDPR, state privacy laws, and uses data solely for benefits optimisation.
Which AI benefits platform is best for small businesses?
Benepass is strongest for small businesses — single-card model, minimal admin, AI nudges for HSA/FSA optimisation. Selerix is viable if the primary need is streamlining annual open enrollment.