How AI is rewriting the rules of salary negotiation
From market research to perfecting your pitch - how artificial intelligence can help you negotiate smarter.
Artificial intelligence can already replace us in a significant portion of our work tasks, and one day it may even make our roles redundant. But for now, AI cannot yet perform one of the most challenging workplace tasks of all - asking for a raise.
A salary negotiation is emotionally complex. It’s about much more than numbers and performance: it touches on self-worth, confidence, and the ability to stand up for ourselves. Organizational politics always play a role, and for women, there’s also a long history of wage discrimination. Yet, although it’s a deeply personal and emotional process, AI can help make it far more effective.
“The use of artificial intelligence within an emotional process can offer new perspectives, broaden our thinking, and direct us toward insights we might otherwise miss,” says Attorney Orna Kopolovich, senior lecturer in the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Technology Management and head of the Center for Negotiation Management and Business Innovation at the Holon Institute of Technology (HIT). “When we’re in an emotional state, we sometimes ignore certain data or overemphasize others. For example, if I believe my contribution this year was stronger than my team’s, I’ll tend to glorify that perception. Having all the data allows us to enter this important conversation in a smarter and more accurate way.”
AI tools can be persuasive, but could they also reinforce our biases?
“It’s important to know how to use these tools correctly,” Kopolovich cautions. “The goal is to ensure our authentic voice is still heard. Don’t accept any suggestion that doesn’t fit reality. These are excellent tools for exploring options, preparing thoroughly, and practicing.”
Artificial intelligence is only a tool. The actual salary conversation will always be between people - requiring trust, honesty, and even a measure of vulnerability. “We need to bring our authentic selves to the table,” she adds. “Don’t come across as cold or mechanical.”
And with that caveat, here’s how you can use AI tools to help you get a raise:
1. Defining Value
When asking for a raise, most people approach the conversation with the mindset of “I deserve it” - which can backfire, as it focuses on emotion rather than value. AI can help translate your contribution into the language of business: ROI, innovation, efficiency, team impact, or process improvement.
“It’s very important to understand who we are and what our true place is within the workplace and our field,” says Kopolovich. “AI can quantify our real value in the business environment and even create an investment plan. You’re not just saying ‘I want a raise,’ but rather, ‘you should invest in me, here’s what I can deliver in return.’”
You can ask AI to map your projects and quantify their impact, in sales, time saved, or customer satisfaction. Request that it frame your contributions in managerial terms or even create a graph or table, a “personal contribution index”, to present professionally.
This document can be shared with your manager, especially if they must justify your raise to HR or senior leadership. “The data you present will speak for you in rooms where you’re not present,” Kopolovich says.
2. Market Trend Analysis
Salary negotiations often fail due to lack of information, most of us don’t know what peers in similar roles earn elsewhere. What used to take weeks of research can now be done in minutes.
Before negotiations, ask AI:
- What is the average market salary for my role with X years of experience in Y industry?
- Have there been any recent salary updates, reports, or public data from this company or competitors?
AI can quickly scan sources, cross-reference data, and produce a clean, data-backed report. You can even ask for a chart showing the gap between your salary and the market average.
When you bring data, you bring power, the conversation shifts from “I deserve it” to “Here’s what’s fair and market-aligned.”
3. A Raise Is Not Just About Money
Compensation includes salary, but also benefits and work conditions. Thinking broadly can expand negotiation options and reduce pushback. AI can help identify the full range of benefits common in your field, such as health coverage, courses, bonuses, hybrid work, or car allowances, and even estimate their monetary value.
This lets you calculate trade-offs:
How much are five extra vacation days worth? How does a 5% raise compare to professional training support?
Armed with this data, you can prepare flexible alternatives: “If the base salary can’t increase, perhaps the company could support my degree or offer additional vacation days.”
Approaching the discussion this way shows strategic thinking, not emotion.
4. Wording and Tone Precision
AI can polish your message so it sounds confident but not demanding.
For example: “Write a short salary request emphasizing commitment and added value, without sounding aggressive.”
Provide key values and tone preferences, then refine until the phrasing feels authentic. “Writing a salary request is emotionally difficult,” says Kopolovich. “Even if we plan to be rational, it’s deeply personal. AI can help phrase it pleasantly yet assertively, something even a close friend might struggle to do.”
After receiving drafts, tweak the wording until it feels natural. “If it sounds like you’re reading from a teleprompter,” she warns, “it won’t be authentic.”
5. Practice with AI
Once you’ve gathered your data, you can practice the conversation. Ask AI to act as your negotiation coach and simulate responses - skeptical, supportive, or tough. Then have it analyze your answers for effectiveness.
You can also ask what blind spots you might have missed. Practicing this way builds confidence and reduces risk. “Even if we had a friend to rehearse with, unless they’re a trained negotiation coach, it wouldn’t be as effective,” says Kopolovich.
Over the past year, she has developed an AI-based negotiation simulator and collaborated on applied research with a major U.S. university and OpenAI. “We conducted numerous negotiation simulations to analyze possible outcomes in complex situations,” she says. “In executive training, I use a personalized version of this simulator.”
She notes that ChatGPT itself can serve as an effective negotiation partner, as OpenAI continuously improves its model.
6. An Offer You Can’t Refuse
Ask AI to create a concise one-page “cheat sheet” summarizing your achievements, market data, and projected contributions to the company.
Prompt: “Create a one-page report summarizing my impact, expected future value, and a data-backed case for a salary increase.”
This becomes an investment plan for your employer, positioning you not as a petitioner, but as a strategic asset.
7. What Are the Alternatives?
Confidence grows when you know your options, what negotiation experts call the Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA).
Having alternatives, like other job opportunities or internal growth paths, lets you negotiate from strength, not fear.
“Research shows that when we enter negotiations knowing we have options, we’re calmer, more focused, and more likely to succeed,” Kopolovich says.
Ask AI to help identify your alternatives early on:
“Suggest three possible scenarios if my request isn’t approved,” or “Estimate my market value and likelihood of finding a similar opportunity.”
Ultimately, AI can prepare you, but the conversation itself is human. Approach it with empathy, confidence, and authenticity. Because in the end, you’re not negotiating with a machine, you’re negotiating with another person.
First published: 16:27, 26.10.25
