Five ways AI makes smarter benefits and lower costs possible
In a time of economic uncertainty and rising expectations from employees, global organisations are under pressure to balance delivering great benefits, while controlling spiralling costs.
Traditionally, benefits have been seen as a necessary expense, but forward-thinking employers treat them as a strategic investment.
Only recently has the technology emerged to uncover savings, create efficiencies, and work more intelligently for benefit teams.
The advent of AI was a ‘crossing the Rubicon’ moment for HR, and the strategic chasm between teams that are leveraging AI in a practical and measurable way, and those who are not, widens by the day.
Here are five key ways AI is helping employers elevate their benefits strategy.
1. Cutting hidden costs with better insight
One of the biggest challenges in global benefits is duplication.
Many organisations unknowingly offer overlapping or inconsistent benefits across countries, vendors, and business units, often with little visibility over what is being paid for or why.
Origin’s AI Cuido, offers global benefits leaders a structured, transparent view of all policies, retirement schemes, leave entitlements, allowances, and vendor agreements across markets.
With everything in one place, teams can identify duplication, consolidate offerings, and negotiate more effectively with suppliers, creating direct cost savings.
2. Reducing admin time with automation
Benefits teams often spend hours chasing down documents, responding to repetitive queries, and manually entering data into spreadsheets.
These tasks are time-consuming and prone to human error, which can lead to costly compliance issues.
AI empowers users to access benefits data instantly, without digging through files or waiting on broker responses.
Automating access to information not only saves time but also allows teams to focus on more strategic work.
3. Improving vendor management and cost control
Working with multiple vendors across regions can result in fragmented data, inconsistent pricing, and limited negotiating leverage.
AI can also surface underperforming vendors or highlight outdated agreements, allowing teams to renegotiate with greater clarity and confidence.
This leads to more effective sourcing and stronger supplier relationships.
4. Aligning spend with what employees actually need
A common source of waste in benefits programmes is offering services that employees do not use or value.
Without data, it is difficult to understand what is working and what is not.
Employers need to utilise technology that allows them to extract structured insights from their benefits documentation, enabling them to identify usage trends, spot coverage gaps, and understand what matters in each region.
This allows businesses to tailor their offerings and ensure every pound spent is delivering value to employees.
5. Strengthening governance to reduce risk and cost
Poor documentation, low visibility, and inconsistent policy implementation can expose organisations to unnecessary risk.
This might include compliance failures, communication errors, or issues uncovered during audits.
Value-for-money technology
When implemented well, benefits technology can deliver significant value.
From better decision-making and faster access to data, to smarter supplier management and lower admin overheads, the return on investment is clear.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, Origin
Origin is the world’s first Global Benefits Intelligence platform.
