Do your employees know how to engage with AI tools and write effective prompts? The Department of Labor (DOL) released an AI literacy framework to support effective use of AI tools. It stresses clear context, structured instructions and ongoing refinement of prompts to help users interact with AI responsibly and productively in the workplace.

This blog will focus on how to direct AI tools with clear prompts that produce effective results, including example prompts that could be useful to those working with multiemployer plan benefits administration.

On February 13, 2026, DOL’s Employment and Training Administration released an artificial intelligence (AI) literacy framework and graphic to guide nationwide AI literacy efforts across workforce and education systems. It is intended to help accelerate effective AI skill development across the country. The framework outlines five foundational content areas and seven delivery principles for AI literacy with an emphasis on preparing workers to understand and use generative AI tools.

DOL defines AI literacy as a foundational set of competencies that enable individuals to use and evaluate AI technologies responsibly. AI literacy involves learning to interact with AI systems to get useful results. Since AI tools rely on user input, it’s important to give clear instructions, include relevant context and guide the system by rewriting prompts for better outcomes. Effective prompting requires knowing how to frame questions, provide information and refine responses.

Effective Prompting

DOL’s framework on effective AI prompting covers the following topics.

• Contextual framing: Providing background information, intended audience, tone, or specific goals helps shape the AI’s response to better match the user’s needs in different workplace scenarios.
• Prompting techniques: Structuring prompts clearly, using step-by-step instructions, and specifying formats or outputs allows workers to unlock more advanced or precise capabilities of the AI system.
• Supplying relevant input data: Workers should understand when and how to include the most relevant data, supporting materials or examples to improve accuracy and usefulness of AI outputs.
• Iterating on outputs: Effective users treat AI interactions as an ongoing process, using follow-up prompts to clarify, refine or reframe results until they meet the desired standard or purpose.
• Avoiding vague or misleading prompts: Workers should recognize how prompt clarity and word choice affect outcomes and adjust their approach accordingly to avoid ambiguity.

Multiemployer Plans and Fund Office Roles

AI adoption in Taft-Hartley benefits administration is accelerating due to its perceived ability to help manage rising administrative complexity and cost pressures, explained Michael Stoyanovich, vice president, senior consultant at Segal, during a session at the 71^st Annual Employee Benefits Conference. Other goals of AI adoption could be reduced manual processing and enhanced member engagement. This will require preparing employees to work effectively and responsibly with AI tools.

Example Prompts for Multiemployer Fund Roles

Following are some adaptations of AI prompts that Stoyanovich shared with the audience of multiemployer plan stakeholders. Cautionary notes: Presumably all policies and data security requirements are being followed. When feeding proprietary or confidential information that should not be shared outside your organization, be sure the AI tool is “closed,” meaning you are not using a version that shares your content with the general public or produces output using content from outside of your organization.

Benefits Analyst Prompts

• Analyze member utilization trends over the past 12 months.
• Suggest plan design changes based on predictive modeling.

Compliance Manager Prompts

• Act like a compliance officer. Summarize current AI-related compliance risks in benefits administration.
• Draft a policy for monitoring algorithmic fairness.

Claims Processor Prompts

• List exceptions flagged by the claims adjudication system this week.
• Draft a member response for a denied claim with clear rationale.

Member Services/Engagement Prompts

• Generate responses for common eligibility questions with a supportive tone.
• Summarize member sentiment from February 2026 support tickets.

Trustee Prompts

• What are the top three risks facing our fund this quarter?
• Act like a trustee. Summarize the impact of AI on fiduciary responsibilities. Include regulatory context.

Fund Administrator Prompts

• Draft a member communication about claims processing.
• Generate a checklist for onboarding new AI tools.

Communications Director Prompts

• Draft a press release on AI adoption in our fund. Format key points as a bulleted list.
• Create talking points for member townhall on AI. Use a reassuring and informative tone.

AI Vendors

Below are some highlights from Stoyanovich’s remarks for ERISA fiduciaries on AI vendors.

• Trustees and administrators must treat AI vendors as ERISA service providers for ERISA purposes.
• AI tools much be carefully vetted to ensure compliance with ERISA.
• Legal, IT, trustees and vendors share responsibility for ethical and effective AI use.
• ERISA plan fiduciaries must act prudently in selecting and monitoring service providers, including with respect to their use of AI.
• Some of DOL’s cybersecurity best practices can be adapted to AI systems, such as strong access control procedures, prudent annual risk assessments and vendor oversight.

Learn more with the International Foundation’s AI and Employee Benefits Toolkit.

Developed by International Foundation Information Center staff. This does not constitute legal advice. Please consult your plan professionals for legal advice.