How AI Is Influencing Corporate Incentive Programs

In the past few months, I’ve conducted a panel and a roundtable with incentive professionals to discuss AI and incentives, and what I’ve learned is that there is a lot of confusion about AI’s capabilities, a lack of knowledge about platforms and fear that AI will eliminate their jobs.

The Incentive Research Foundation, in recognition of these concerns and the growing influence of AI in the incentive industry, has released two studies to help incentive profs understand the capabilities, explore the possibilities, and reveal out how artificial intelligence is being used now.

AI: Uses and Possibilities for Incentive Professionals, based on the IRF’s series of focus groups with suppliers, third parties and program owners, revealed that AI use among incentive industry professionals is still in its early stages but that both use and interest in the technology are steadily increasing. Those findings closely mirror the findings of Northstar/Cvent’s April Incentive PULSE Survey. The IRF study explores how incentives professionals are using AI both in the travel and non-travel incentive arenas; provides information about the tools and programs they find most valuable relative to incentive programs; and illustrates the gains and results incentive professionals are experiencing with AI.

Among the ways incentive profs said they were using AI:

• Automating tasks, such as answering incentive program attendees’ frequently asked questions, to relieve "busy work." As one planner noted, "It means the [planning team] can do other things that the organization needs their brain power for; more strategic things."
• Helping employees craft peer-nominated awards
• Using ChatGPT for smaller events to create itineraries. The planner stated they would not use that platform for their President’s Club trip, but rather "use it only for things too small for a third party to touch."
  
  

Exploring AI's Potential for Incentives

The IRF’s second AI study, The AI Revolution: A Technical Review of AI Capabilities for Corporate Events, Rewards & Incentives, provides an in-depth view of the vast possibilities that the technology offers incentive professionals. The comprehensive guide reveals how AI can be used by incentive planners to enhance personalization, streamline operations, predict trends and elevate engagement levels. The report also delves into AI capabilities, lists platform options, provides technical explanations and predicts sophisticated use of the technology to enhance incentive and recognition programs.

"From creating program structures to drafting communications and conducting data analysis, the use of AI tools is enabling incentives professionals to be more efficient and creative," said IRF president Stephanie Harris. "While there is some hesitation about embracing this technology, incentives professionals who have explored AI are impressed by the ease of use and how it can save time — and they are excited about the possibilities of more sophisticated applications."

The IRF will address AI’s growing importance, as well as other topical issues and trends, during its 2024 Invitational event, which takes place May 28-31 at Baha Mar, Nassau, the Bahamas.