Buyer's guide
Evaluate AI HR tools like an operator
A practical framework for assessing AI HR tools — autonomy, build-vs-buy, and the questions that map to the AI Return Matrix.
How autonomous is the AI?
The further toward “act”, the more governance and monitoring you need before scaling.
Recommend
Suggests; a human decides and acts.
Draft
Produces a draft a human reviews and edits.
Decide
Makes a decision within set guardrails.
Act
Takes action in systems, with monitoring.
Build vs. buy vs. partner
Build
Own the capability when it's core, differentiating, and you have the data and talent.
Buy
Buy proven platforms for commoditized capability with strong integrations.
Partner
Partner where you need expertise, speed, or shared risk to get to value.
Evaluation questions, mapped to the AI Return Matrix
Fifteen questions across ROI, Experience, Risk, Data and Future Readiness.
ROI
Start from the business problem and the decision it improves — not the technology. If you can't name the problem crisply, you're not ready to buy.
Experience
Risk
Data
Future Readiness
Pressure-test a tool with the agent
Generate a buyer-ready briefing for any category or vendor.