Robot vs. human
A gripping headline. Grammar clean-up. Thought starters. These are just a few of the reasons we’ve experimented with AI tools along our journey. But as seasoned communicators – ones who care deeply about genuinely connecting with people on life-changing topics like health benefits, financial wellness, and pension – we couldn’t help but wonder, how does a robot stack up against a human in a head-to-head battle?
So, we put it to the test.
We asked (or in AI terms, we “prompted”) ChatGPT to write two short paragraphs explaining how a Health Spending Account works. We said, “make it clear, relatable, and friendly.”
ChatGPT’s response
Completion time: less than 5 seconds
Content: A Health Spending Account (HSA) is like a small pool of money your employer sets aside to help cover your medical expenses. When you pay for things like prescriptions, dental visits, or glasses, you can submit the receipt and get reimbursed from your account. It’s simple to use, and the money you get back is usually tax-free, which helps your dollars go further.
Think of it as a flexible health budget that works for your needs. Instead of being locked into specific benefits, you can use the funds for the services that matter most to you. Once you’ve used up the balance, you just wait until the account resets the next year. It’s an easy way to take care of your health while saving money at the same time.
Our human response
Completion time: about 5 minutes
Content: Think of a Health Spending Account (HSA) like a bank account that holds money for your health and dental expenses. Each time you have an eligible claim – things like prescriptions, glasses, massage, your kid’s braces – you can use your account to help cover it.
How does it work with your benefits plan?
Sometimes your benefits plan will cover the full cost of your claim; other times, just a portion of it. You can use your health spending account to cover the difference, leaving more money in your pocket. Make sure to use up your HSA balance before the plan year ends, because it doesn’t roll over from year to year.
The verdict
At first glance, the robot and human responses seem fairly comparable – aside from speed. That prize easily goes to the lightning-fast machine.
But at a closer look, something feels “off”.
What’s interesting is that the AI content has some substance and a confident enough tone that you feel good about what you’ve read. However, it lacks precision.
Take this line: “Instead of being locked into specific benefits, you can use the funds for the services that matter most to you.” It reads smoothly, and you nod your head thinking, “it gets me.” But on closer look, it hits you – you don’t use an HSA “in place of” benefits, it’s usually an add-on or a way to cover the amount that your plan doesn’t cover. The sentence sounds right but misses the mark entirely. This is just one observation (there are more!).
It can be hard to pinpoint on first read, but the AI version comes across a bit more robotic. Like a dog wearing cat ears, it’s trying its best to pass as something it’s not. We’ve observed how that gap only widens as the subject matter becomes more personal or complex.
Our conclusions
Sure, the robot is fast, and often pretty accurate. But it misses something essential: human connection, voice, and that elusive je ne sais quoi. So, while we’ll happily keep AI in our toolkit for headlines, structure, and the occasional sentence, going all in comes with real risk.
In a space like employee benefits, pension, and total rewards, where employees and members already struggle to understand and relate, our greatest advantage is our humanity. While AI can only infer based on data and probabilities, we can make it meaningful by grounding content in our lived experience. It’s our nuance and contextual references that make communicating about the stuff that matters to humans…human.
Want to add a human touch to your communication? We can help!
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Visit our Communication Consulting page for more details.