AI Indexes
HR AI Index
Archive

Editions and the record

Every prompt, the versioned vendor table and each edition's report, archived permanently at stable URLs. The raw judge labels and full answers are sent on request.

Edition log

Each edition with the collection runs that produced it and the calibration repeat that set its noise floor. Monthly editions run on the first of each month at 06:00 UTC. Special editions follow major frontier model releases and are published as a comparison against the prior generation; they are added to the log when a release is announced.
EditionKindDateLabelsVendor tablethe change log is in the fileStatus
September 2026 EditionEdition2026-09-1759,495v2026-10.7Published
Collection run, smoke, small business, mid-market and enterpriseRun2026-09-175,969v2026-10.7Staged
Collection run, baseline, small business, mid-market and enterpriseRun2026-09-1753,526v2026-10.7Staged
Calibration repeat, 10 categoriesSets the noise floor for this edition.Repeat2026-09-1811,807v2026-10.7Measured
October 2026 EditionEdition2026-10-0174,522v2026-10.7Published
Collection run, monthly, small business, mid-market and enterpriseRun2026-10-0165,416v2026-10.7Staged
Collection run, smoke, enterprise,mid-market,smb · categories added to the October 2026 EditionRun2026-10-043,270v2026-10.7Published
Collection run, baseline, enterprise,mid-market,smb · categories added to the October 2026 EditionRun2026-10-045,836v2026-10.7Published
Calibration repeat, 10 categoriesSets the noise floor for this edition.Repeat2026-10-0412,986v2026-10.7Measured
November 2026 EditionThen monthly on the first, through the November 2027 Edition. The full schedule →Edition2026-11-01pendingpendingScheduled
PublishedIn the public record at a stable URL, citable.MeasuredA calibration repeat, run and measured, feeding the noise floor.StagedThe data exists and is not public yet.ScheduledThe data does not exist yet.

The record

October 2026 Edition · vendor table v2026-10.7. The prompts, the model set, the vendor table and the report are free files. The raw judge labels and the full answers, with timestamp, model version and search flag, are sent on request. Every figure on the pages traces to the verbatim quotes shown beside it.

The raw judge labels and the full responses are sent on request, for research and reporting: ask for the record. The method files, the report and every figure on the pages stay free.

ArtifactOne row of it isSizeWhere
The raw recordJSON, one row per label or answer. The labels, the answers and the vendor table by request; the method files free.
edition-2026-10-scores.jsonJSONOne row per named product, with the name exactly as written and a verbatim evidence quote.26.5 MBBy request
edition-2026-10-responses.jsonJSONEvery call with its full answer text, timestamp, version string, search flag, cited URLs, latency and token counts.20.3 MBBy request
edition-2026-10.mdMarkdownThe derived report for the edition, including the appendix on loose paraphrase stability.590 KBFree now
prompts.jsonJSONEvery prompt verbatim: six variants across 58 categories for each buyer segment, 348 per segment. Each prompt carries its set; the September 2026 mid-market set, asked as a B2B software company, is kept under its own ids beside the current one.496 KBFree now
models.jsonJSONPinned models, endpoints, search tools and list prices as of the edition.16 KBFree now
vendor_aliases.jsonJSONCanonical names, aliases, category-scoped readings, exclusions and the change log.849 KBBy request
The calibration repeatThe same prompts asked again with nothing changed, over the twenty calibration categories.
mai-20261004-1102-calibration_b-scores.jsonJSONThe same prompts asked again on October 4, 2026 with nothing changed, over 10 categories. One row per named product, as in the edition file.4.7 MBBy request
mai-20261004-1102-calibration_b-responses.jsonJSONEvery call of the repeat with its full answer text, timestamp, version string, search flag, cited URLs, latency and token counts.3.5 MBBy request
mai-20261004-1102-calibration_b.mdMarkdownThe derived report for the repeat, the per-model flip rates behind the noise floor.130 KBFree now

The pages, the standings and the method files are published under CC BY 4.0, free to cite. Until 4 October 2026 the September and October 2026 records were offered for download under CC BY 4.0; copies obtained then keep those terms. From that date no edition's raw labels or full responses are offered for download; they are sent on request, under the record license: for the research or reporting it was sent for, with commercial use, redistribution and model training by agreement.

Cite this edition
HR AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition. hr-ai-index.com. Scored under vendor table v2026-10.7.
The subscriber app

The app reads this record for one company: every category it is named in, across all four indexes, what changed, who the models pick instead, and every answer behind every figure.

See the app

Seven days free, no card.

On request

The public index is a fixed scope, rescored every edition: 58 categories, three buyer segments, six framings, fourteen models. Everything below runs on one category for that category's subscribers, as an expanded run, and never enters the public standing.
CutWhat it is
The flagship modelsClaude Opus 5, Claude Opus 4.8, GPT-6 Astra, GPT-5.6 Sol, Gemini 3.1 Pro, Perplexity Sonar Pro, Muse Spark 1.3, on your category every month.
Job-to-be-done framingA seventh prompt per category that describes the work instead of naming the category.

Prices are on the Subscribe page. A cut that enough subscribers ask for can be promoted into the public index; that is announced in the edition log above and on the method page's change log, never done quietly.

Category roadmap

The addressable set across seven HR functions. The exceptions come first, because they are what the section is for.
58Categories coveredScored every edition, full record published.
6Out of scopeNamed below, with the reason.
7HR functionsThe addressable set.
14Planned, not yet scoredAdditions are announced in the edition log.
Out of scopeNamed, with the reason. These are the rows the section exists for.
The adjacent functions domainAll 6 of its categories: Sales commissions and incentive compensation, Customer education and LMS, Sales coaching, Workforce identity and SSO, Cap table management, Business password managers. Products another index publishes or that a function other than HR evaluates. The buyer in the prompt decides which index a category is on.Out of scope
Products named as something other than a candidateA warehouse named as a data source inside a CDP answer, an ad platform named as a destination inside an attribution answer, a buyer's own tooling: counted only where the answer treats the product as a candidate in the category asked about, under the scoring rule on the method page.Excluded
Covered, by functionEvery covered category is scored the same way; open a function for its categories with the landscape reference and analyst coverage.
Core HR and payrollThe system of record and the money: HRIS and HCM, payroll at home and abroad, benefits, time, scheduling, leave and compliance.11Open 11 →
CategoryReferenceAnalyst coverage
Benefits administrationG2: Benefits Administration Software—
Global payroll and employer of recordG2: Contractor of Record Software; Employer of Record (EOR) Software; Global Employment Platforms (GEP); Global Hiring Services Provider; Global Payroll Software—
HR compliance and policy managementG2: HR Compliance Software; Policy Management Software—
HRIS and HCM platformsG2: Core HR Software; HCM Software; Healthcare HR Software; Talent Management Software—
Leave and absence managementG2: Absence Management Software—
Payroll softwareG2: Payroll Services; Payroll Software—
PEO providersG2: PEO Providers—
Time and attendanceG2: Time & Attendance Software; Time Tracking Software—
Whistleblowing and investigationsG2: Whistleblowing Software; Investigation Management Software—
Workforce management suitesG2: Contact Center Workforce Software; Workforce Management Software—
Workforce schedulingG2: Employee Scheduling Software; Medical Staff Scheduling Software—
Employment eligibility verification——Planned
HR document management——Planned
Talent acquisitionFinding and hiring: applicant tracking, sourcing, scheduling, interviewing, assessment, screening, recruitment marketing and the AI that now sits in front of all of it.11Open 11 →
CategoryReferenceAnalyst coverage
AI recruiting assistantsG2: AI Interview Agent Software; AI Recruiting Software; Recruiting Automation Software—
Applicant tracking systemsG2: Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS); Recruitment Platforms; Talent Acquisition Suites Software—
Background screeningG2: Background Check Software; Drug Testing Software; Pre-Employment Screening Software; Reference Check Software—
Candidate assessmentG2: Talent Assessment Software—
Interview schedulingG2: Interview Scheduling Software—
Job advertising and distributionG2: Job Board Software; Job Search Sites; Programmatic Job Advertising Software—
Recruiting CRM and sourcingG2: Candidate Relationship Management Software; Diversity Recruiting Software—
Recruitment marketing and career sitesG2: Recruitment Marketing Platforms—
Staffing agency platformsG2: Staffing Software—
Technical hiring assessmentsG2: Technical Skills Screening Software—
Video interviewingG2: Video Interviewing Software—
Campus and early-career recruiting——Planned
Employee referral programs——Planned
Onboarding and employee experienceThe employee side of HR: onboarding, engagement, recognition, communication, the HR help desk, wellbeing, frontline apps and AI assistants.9Open 9 →
CategoryReferenceAnalyst coverage
Employee engagement surveysG2: Employee Engagement Software; Employee Experience Software—
Employee giving and volunteeringG2: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Software; Corporate Volunteering Platforms—
Employee onboardingG2: Onboarding Software—
Employee wellbeing and mental healthG2: Corporate Wellness Software—
Frontline employee appsG2: Frontline Worker Communication Platforms Software—
HR AI assistantsG2: AI Agents for HR Software—
HR help desk and case managementG2: HR Case Management Software; HR Service Delivery Software—
Internal communications and intranetG2: Employee Communications Software; Employee Intranet Software; Enterprise Social Networking (ESN) Software; Internal Newsletter Software—
Recognition and rewardsG2: Employee Recognition Software—
Diversity, equity and inclusion analytics——Planned
Offboarding and exit——Planned
Performance and talent managementManaging and moving talent: performance, goals, feedback, succession, internal mobility, skills and talent intelligence.7Open 7 →
CategoryReferenceAnalyst coverage
360 feedbackG2: 360 Feedback Software—
Goals and OKRsG2: Objectives and Key Results (OKR) Software—
Internal talent marketplaceG2: Career Management Software; Talent Marketplace Platforms—
Performance managementG2: Performance Management Software—
Skills intelligenceG2: Skills Management Software—
Succession planningG2: Succession Planning Software—
Talent intelligenceG2: Talent Intelligence Software—
Career development——Planned
Learning and developmentTraining the workforce: learning management, learning experience, content libraries, authoring, coaching, mentoring and compliance training.7Open 7 →
CategoryReferenceAnalyst coverage
Coaching platformsG2: Coaching Software—
Compliance trainingG2: Ethics And Compliance LMS; Harassment Prevention Training Software—
Course authoring toolsG2: Course Authoring Software—
Learning experience platformsG2: Learning Experience Platforms (LXP); Microlearning Platforms—
Learning management systemsG2: Corporate Learning Management Systems; Learning Management Systems; Online Learning Platforms; Training Management Software—
Mentoring softwareG2: Mentoring Software—
Online course librariesG2: Online Course Providers; eLearning Content Software—
AI learning assistants——Planned
Leadership development——Planned
Compensation and total rewardsPay and what surrounds it: compensation planning, benchmarking data, pay equity, earned wage access and flexible benefits.8Open 8 →
CategoryReferenceAnalyst coverage
401(k) providersG2: 401(k) Software—
Compensation benchmarking dataG2: Salary Benchmarking Software—
Compensation managementG2: Compensation Management Software; Compensation Planning Software—
Earned wage accessG2: Earned Wage Access Software—
Financial wellness platformsG2: Financial Wellness Software—
Flexible benefits and lifestyle spending accountsG2: Employee Perks Software; Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA) Software—
HSA and FSA administratorsG2: Health Savings Account (HSA) Software—
Pay equityG2: Pay Equity Software—
Equity compensation administration——Planned
Total rewards statements——Planned
Workforce planning and analyticsThe numbers behind the workforce: people analytics, workforce and headcount planning, org design and the contingent workforce.5Open 5 →
CategoryReferenceAnalyst coverage
Contingent workforce managementG2: Contractor Management Software; Freelance Platforms; Freelancer Management Systems—
Employee monitoringG2: Employee Monitoring Software—
Org charts and org designG2: Org Chart Software—
People analyticsG2: HR Analytics Software—
Workforce planningG2: Workforce Planning Software—
Immigration case management——Planned
Position management——Planned
Relocation management——Planned

A category enters the addressable set when it is a product a buyer asks an AI to recommend for going to market. Additions and removals are announced in the edition log and on the method page, never done quietly.

Who is asking

Every prompt set is one combination of four choices: how big the buyer is, what industry it is in, how the question is framed, and who answers. Each added value multiplies the prompt set, so these are taxonomy decisions first and scope decisions second.

Company size
Small business Prompts reframed for a small team and budget. Prompt ids cNN-s1 to cNN-s6.
Covered
Mid-market The scale prompt says 500 people. Prompt ids cNN-1 to cNN-6.
Covered
Enterprise Thousands of users, predictable total cost, SSO, SOC 2 and procurement review. Prompt ids cNN-e1 to cNN-e6.
Covered
Industry
B2B company Every prompt today says a B2B company.
Covered
Financial services Regulated, compliance-heavy stack.
Planned
Healthcare Privacy and consent constraints change the answers.
Planned
Public sector Procurement rules and data residency change the answers.
Planned
Manufacturing Operational technology beside the corporate stack.
Planned
Question framing
Category question The buyer names the category: "what is the best SIEM for…". The six variants on the methodology page.
Covered
Job to be done The buyer describes the work, not the category. The model names the category as well as the product.
Planned
Who answers
AI models Fourteen models on the standard tier, fresh session per prompt.
Covered
Human buyers The same questions put to human buyers, published beside the model answers.
Planned
Cadence

A monthly edition on the same date. A special edition within days of a major frontier release, published against the prior generation. Quarterly written analysis, only once enough editions have accumulated to say something with substance.

Rescoring policy

When the vendor table changes, every edition in the series is regenerated under the new version, so the series is never a mix of table versions. A trend that appears only after a table change is tooling, not model behavior.

If the project ends

The historical series is the part that gets harder to replicate the longer it runs. Every edition stays at its stable URL, and the final edition is marked final on the site.