HR's Guide to Buying AI
Every vendor sounds the same in a demo.
Here are the 8 questions that tell you which ones are actually agentic AI, and which ones are chatbots with a new label.
Agentwashed AI vs. real agentic AI
- Scripted demos that avoid your real scenarios
- A chatbot that answers questions but doesn't do the work
- Vague answers on data retention and model training
- No dashboard, or a custom one built just for you
- Runs a live, unscripted case in the room
- Works the case end to end, not just questions about it
- A clear "no" on data retention, stated in the contract
- Compliant, policy-based responses every time
- A live dashboard you can see today
Where the AI-HR buying process goes wrong
share of HR orgs piloting or implementing generative AI, up from 19% in 2023
Source: Gartner
of HR leaders say they haven't seen real business value from AI
Source: Gartner
real agentic AI vendors, out of the thousands marketing themselves that way
Source: Gartner
The 8 questions to ask before you buy
Harper isn't a general-purpose model told to act like HR. It's powered by a domain-specific reasoning layer purpose-built for HR's complexity and stakes.
01
Can you handle a real, multi-stage scenario from our team, not the scripted one?
02
Can you walk us through our 10 most time-consuming processes, one by one?
03
Read-only or write-back, for every system we run.
04
Same question, two different employees. Same rigor, different answers.
05
Is our data used to train a model that isn't ours?
06
Two customers, including what delayed them.
07
Live, today. Not a custom report built after the sale.
08
Priced at our headcount, 1.5x, and 2x.
What a strong answer sounds like
Whether you're evaluating an internal build or an AI add-on, the gaps are significant. Here's how they compare.
How to use our scorecard
Score them against the same 8 questions, not whatever came up in the room.
Get scores you can defend, not a gut call.
Match the scoring to what your organization actually prioritizes.
Use the scored sheet as your actual agenda when vendors get on the call.
See how Harper holds up against your own scorecard
Meet the AI teammate purpose-built for the complexity of HR.
