AI has been in the forefront of the news so it's no surprise that many people are curious about AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and Copilot, and that others feel wary. Both reactions make sense. Whichever camp you're in, it can help to understand what these tools are, and what they aren't, before deciding how much to rely on them.
It isn't an expert
AI doesn't "know" things the way people do. It has no lived experience, no professional judgment and no accountability. A benefits professional who has helped hundreds of people return to work can draw on that experience, and answers for their advice. An AI tool can describe how those conversations often go, but it can't stand behind what it says.
It can sound certain even when it's wrong
A knowledgeable person will often say, "I'm not sure, let me check." AI tools rarely do. Their fluent, confident voice is a feature of how they work, not a signal that the answer is reliable. When a tool doesn't have a complete answer, it may fill in the blanks anyway. That's what people mean when they talk about AI "hallucinating." The result can read beautifully and still be inaccurate.
It reflects a moment in time
AI tools are trained on information up to a certain point. Things change, including workplace rules, benefit programs and the names and contact details of organizations. A tool trained before those changes may give you an outdated answer with complete confidence. Some tools can now search the web, but it's worth not assuming yours does, or that what it finds is current. Going directly to an organization's own website is a good habit.
It doesn't know you
An AI tool knows only what you tell it in the conversation. Everything else it fills in with generalizations that may or may not apply to your employer, your state, your diagnosis or your situation. Two people asking the same question about workplace leave could need very different answers depending on where they work and live.
So where does that leave you?
Many people find it helpful to think of AI as a well-read study partner rather than an advisor: useful for getting oriented, building a list of questions or getting a first draft on the page, but not suited to making decisions about your health, your job or your legal rights. Some questions you might ask yourself as you decide how to use it:
• What am I hoping this tool will do for me right now?
• Who could I check the answer with before I act on it?
• Is this a question where a general answer is enough, or does my situation matter a great deal?
Content created with support from AI tools, including Claude and CoPilot. Updated 2026.