Top 4 Trends for Health Insurers in 2024: Survey Shows that More than 90% of Insurers Plan to Increase AI Investment
What are the key goals and challenges for insurers in 2024? How are they planning to leverage AI to achieve and overcome them?
To find out, Gradient AI conducted a survey among our 100+ customers, who represent a diverse range of insurance companies. The results reveal four emerging AI trends that are shaping the future of the insurance industry.
Trend #1: AI Adoption Accelerates
The survey shows that insurers are embracing AI as a strategic priority, with 90% of respondents planning to increase their AI investments. The majority of them (75%) are focusing on AI applications for underwriting and claims management, where AI can help optimize policy pricing, reduce quote turnaround times, triage claims, and reduce the duration and cost of claims.
In addition, about 25% of respondents are exploring the potential of Generative AI, which can create new and original content or data based on patterns and information it has learned from previous examples. This will allow insurers to automate tasks such as summarizing medical notes, generating routine correspondence, and processing simple applications and claims.
Gradient AI’s take: The survey confirms that AI is becoming an essential tool for insurers to enhance their effectiveness and efficiency. AI algorithms can provide accurate and consistent insights, enabling insurers to make better and faster decisions and reduce risks. However, AI is not a replacement for human expertise. Instead, it serves as a virtual digital assistant that can give insurers more confidence in making decisions. By combining AI and human judgment, insurers can achieve a more balanced and nuanced approach to decision making and risk assessment, increasing their confidence and trust in the outcomes.
Trend #2: Cloud and Big Data is the Foundation of Data-Driven Insights
Cloud and big data are the top priorities for nearly 40% of insurers surveyed, who recognize the essential role these technologies play in enabling data-driven insights and building resilient operational infrastructures.
Gradient AI’s take: We share our customers’ vision of leveraging cloud and big data to drive innovation and operational efficiency in the insurance industry. However, we also understand the challenges of ensuring data quality and reliability, which are crucial for the success and effectiveness of AI models.
Trend #3: AI is the Key to Accurate and Competitive Policy Pricing
AI’s impact on policy pricing is recognized by almost 50% of insurers surveyed, who see it as a strategic imperative for enhancing accuracy and customer satisfaction.
Gradient AI’s take: AI's ability to analyze vast data sets and external sources to evaluate risk is a game-changer for insurers. It allows them to price policies more accurately based on multiple key risk factors. This capability not only enhances accuracy but also ensures competitiveness and customer-centric pricing structures.
Trend #4: The Solution to the Insurance Talent Gap: Knowledge Preservation
An overwhelming 62% of respondents strongly or somewhat agree that AI captures institutional knowledge and helps bridge the talent gap as aging workers retire and insurers struggle to find new talent to replace them.
Gradient AI’s Take: The acknowledgment of AI's role in knowledge preservation marks a key shift in talent management, positioning AI as a vital tool in preserving institutional knowledge and shaping future talent retention strategies within the insurance sector.
The results of this year’s Gradient AI customer survey highlight AI’s growing prominence, not only as a technological enabler but as a critical catalytic force reshaping the insurance industry. The industry’s strategic focus on AI adoption, coupled with nuanced considerations for data quality and talent retention, will bring increased innovation and efficiency to the insurance landscape in 2024.