AI is moving fast – don’t let the insurance industry fall behind. The list of articles below brings you the most important updates, use cases, and innovations in AI, curated for insurance professionals who want to stay ahead.
Latest articles as of September 25
News: Insurance Gen Zers embrace AI as their “career co-pilot”
The root of it: Over half of Gen Z insurance professionals report being drawn to our industry for its stability, leadership opportunities, and role in digital transformation. According to results from a Counterpart/Young Risk Professionals survey, young workers see AI as a collaborator, not competition, with 69% of respondents expecting the technology to streamline workflows. Yet nearly half identify slow tech adoption as the industry’s biggest hurdle.
News: Survey shows insurance leaders are seeing AI move from hype to real-world impact
The root of it: Insurance executives increasingly view AI as more than just hype, with a new Economist Impact/SAS study highlighting measurable impact on underwriting, coding, and risk evaluation. The shift is gradual, as it's built on hybrid human-AI teams rather than striving for full automation. While productivity gains are clear, widespread cost savings remain elusive, and governance, agility, and data challenges persist.
News: Is insurance AI about to wreck the Gartner AI Hype Cycle?
The root of it: P&C insurers are aggressively adopting AI, potentially bypassing (or compressing) the dreaded “Trough of Disillusionment” phase in the influential annual Gartner Hype Cycle timeline. Despite regulatory, data, and governance risks around AI, carriers are realizing value in the technology across underwriting, claims, operations and analytics.
News: FTC opens an inquiry into AI chatbots’ impact on kids and teens
The root of it: The FTC has subpoenaed Google, Meta, OpenAI, and four other AI/chatbot companies, requesting data on how they test, monitor, and limit use by children and teens. The agency aims to study potential harms and compliance efforts under its 6(b) authority. The inquiry could seed future investigations or regulatory actions.
News: Nvidia invests $100B in OpenAI to advance US AI leadership
The root of it: Leading GPU maker Nvidia will invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI to support the deployment of at least 10 gigawatts of AI data centers, starting in 2026. OpenAI pays Nvidia for chips while Nvidia gains an equity stake in the ChatGPT maker, aligning incentives. The move reinforces Nvidia’s dominance in AI infrastructure and deepens its strategic lock-in with one of the biggest purchasers of computing power.
News: Gemini app is the #1 download because people want AI to do more than chat
The root of it: Google’s Gemini recently became the #1 downloaded app, overtaking ChatGPT on both iOS and Android. This adoption surge is driven by its “Nano Banana” feature, which transforms images into playful 3D figurines with minimal prompting. Google emphasizes this is early momentum for the app, rather than peak performance and signals plans for further expansion and safety testing.
Latest articles as of September 18
News: Hard and soft skills are key to insurers hiring for growth
The root of it: A life insurer’s chief people officer explains how hiring is shifting to emphasize potential over pedigree, with ownership, collaboration, initiative, and creative problem-solving outweighing prior experience. This shift is also driven by workforce expectations, as younger professionals seek rapid growth and learning. Adaptability, risk-taking, and alignment with company values are essential to building resilient, future-ready insurance teams.
News: But before you blurt out “AI skills!” here’s something else to consider
The root of it: Silicon Valley’s workforce is rapidly aging as AI eliminates entry-level roles, reducing Gen Z’s share at major tech firms 50% since 2023. The average team member age has climbed by five-plus years, raising some tech leaders’ concerns about their ability to sustain long-term innovation. With early-career pipelines shrinking, experts warn of talent gaps ahead, though Gen Z can adapt by upskilling, leveraging AI expertise, and building their resumes through freelance or contract work.
News: Despite the risks, brokers embrace bigger M&A deals to counter slower organic business growth
The root of it: Fitch Ratings reports that US insurance brokers are pursuing larger acquisitions amid slowing markets and reduced organic growth. P/C premium growth is projected at 4–5% for 2025–26 (compared with double-digit gains since 2022), illuminating the tapering backdrop driving M&A activity. This environment favors scale over smaller deals, while strong cash flow and resilience enable well-managed brokers to sustain increased leverage.
News: To do more with AI, insurance must evolve how work gets done
The root of it: At LIMRA 2025, industry leaders urged insurers to move beyond AI pilots and fundamentally rethink how work gets done. A Boston Consulting Group study revealed widespread uncertainty about AI strategy, with only 7% of insurers seeing scaled success. To close this gap, experts recommended using generative AI to improve efficiency, redesign workflows, and reimagine products to deliver greater personalization.
News: Google’s top AI scientist urges contemporaries to avoid early social media's "toxic" mistakes
The root of it: At the Athens Innovation Summit, DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis warned that AI firms should avoid echoing early social media’s mistakes – such as chasing high engagement at the expense of users’ well-being. Hassabis advocated a measured, scientific approach, rigorously testing and understanding systems before scaling. He also cautioned that AI built solely to grab attention risks harming individuals and society.
News: People in 2020: “Millennials ruin everything” – AI in 2025: “Hold my beer...”
The root of it: YouTube faces a surge in “AI-slop – cheap, AI-generated videos with slick visuals and SEO-optimized titles that look polished but deliver little substance or accuracy. Advertisers worry these deceptive, premium-looking clips could diminish user trust, waste ad spend, and risk brand reputation. YouTube has updated its monetization policies, but critics doubt these measures will meaningfully curb the trend.
News: “AI chatbots willingly creating phishing emails to fool elderly readers” is as bad as it sounds
The root of it: A Reuters-Harvard study tested six popular AI chatbots by prompting them to create phishing campaigns aimed at seniors in the US. All bots often resisted initially, but under mild coaxing or ruses, most complied by drafting urgent-sounding fake emails linking to malicious sites by offering discounts or threatening legal consequences for inaction. About 11% of seniors in this simulation clicked on the misleading links.
Latest articles as of September 11
News: US P/C insurers notch mixed first-half results
The root of it: In H1 2025, U.S. property-casualty insurers achieved an underwriting gain of $11.5 billion – triple the previous year’s result – driven by quieter Q2 CAT activity, offsetting early losses. Net income fell to nearly half that of H1 2024, mainly due to weaker investment returns. Despite volatility, modest premium hikes and loss / loss adjustment expenses (LAE) helped to improve the combined ratio to 96.4.
News: Heavy recent activity puts flash flooding at the forefront of risk assessments
The root of it: Central Texas endured a tragic “1,000-year” flash flood this past July 4 holiday, which killed more than 100 people and caused an estimated $1.1 billion in damage. Insurers now view flash flooding as a grave peril to lives and property – and not just in high-risk zones. With high underinsurance (NFIP coverage under 2 %) and rising rates, carriers increasingly rely on parcel-level data, topography, elevation, and construction types to better assess and price risk.
News: Ahoy! 2024's global marine insurance premiums set a new high-water mark
The root of it: Global marine insurance premiums surged to a record $39.92 billion in 2024, up ~1.5% from 2023, with Asia accounting for 60% of growth. Cargo insurance remains dominant at 56.7%, followed by hull and machinery (24.2%), offshore energy (10.9%), and marine liability (8.2%). Cargo loss ratios have declined for seven consecutive years. This extended period of reduced volatility has helped underwriters to improve profitability via more confident and accurate policy pricing.
The root of it: A century ago, insurance excelled at adapting products to consumers’ evolving needs. Today’s insurance customers see tech stagnation, especially compared to communications, retail, and other sectors. In a Carrier Management series, Insurtech champion Haden Kirkpatrick urges leaders to confront cultural resistance to risk by embracing customer research, prioritizing digital product development, rethinking data strategies, and attracting new talent to bring about these changes to prevent falling further afoul of consumer expectations.
News: “Schrödinger’s [black] box”?: How vehicle tech causes and solves higher total losses
The root of it: At July's Collision Industry Conference (CIC) meeting, an overwhelming 86% of attendees polled believe that Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and other vehicle tech will result in more total-loss claims due to the higher cost per repair. Yet others argued the opposite – that if these systems prevent or reduce crash severity, total losses could actually fall. Adding to the paradox, fewer small-damage claims might make the numbers appear worse, while more event data from cars could sharpen decision-making.
News: Will a landmark AI copyright settlement end AI builders’ “train now/pay later” practices?
The root of it: Anthropic’s recent $1.5 billion settlement over training its AI on pirated books marks a turning point for “train now/pay later” practices. The case – once threatening up to $1 trillion in damages – signals rising financial and legal risks for AI builders that rely on copyrighted works without permission. Insurers are expected to watch closely as compliance costs and litigation pressures reshape AI chatbot adoption strategies.
OpenAI is reorganizing its research efforts to better manage ChatGPT's behavior. The company is folding its model behavior team into its larger post-training group, with a focus on reducing excessive user flattery and political bias, which increases the potential risk of dangerous user behavior. This new initiative will also explore patterns that move OpenAI “beyond the chat paradigm.”
Latest articles as of September 4
News: Generative AI is critical to improving and streamlining NAIC compliance efforts
News: Disruption and complexity are changing how insurers manage property claims
The root of it: The latest edition of Sedgwick’s Loss Adjusting Report highlights three distinct disruptors reshaping property claims. Climate change is driving record catastrophe losses, leaving significant gaps in insurance coverage. Tariffs are inflating construction costs, complicating replacement values and settlements. Separately, AI is transforming operations by enabling remote adjusting and faster analysis. Together, these forces demand new approaches to claims management and insurer resilience.
News: 20 years later, Hurricane Katrina still haunts CAT modelers
The root of it: Catastrophe models used during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 significantly overestimated New Orleans’ flood protections – especially the region’s levees, pumps, and walls – highlighting critical failures in risk modeling. This misjudgment contributed to massive insurance losses and serves as a warning for insurers to revisit and recalibrate models against real-world infrastructure vulnerabilities.
News: The stellar performance of Google DeepMind/Weather Lab model’s Hurricane Erin tracking inspires hope
The root of it: Google’s Weather Lab AI model accurately predicted Hurricane Erin’s track and intensity over the first 72 hours – surpassing both the National Hurricane Center’s official forecast and traditional physics-based and consensus models. This marks a major test for AI in weather prediction, showing promise for private AI models becoming trusted tools for short-term forecasting in high-impact events like hurricanes.
The root of it: Former OpenAI researcher Miles Brundage says AI-enabled growth could make a $10,000 monthly universal basic income a reality. He argues that UBI can offset job disruption for those eager to work while freeing humanity from the obligation to work. Brundage views this shift as a key justification for building advanced AI (which he identifies as one of the strongest arguments for creating AI and AGI in the first place), as well as a vital step toward avoiding "Wall-E"-type societal stagnation.
News: Relatedly, Nvidia’s valuation is now equal to 8% of the S&P 500
The root of it: Nvidia posted Q2 revenue of $46.7 billion, beating expectations and signaling strong AI demand. The company now commands about 8% of the S&P 500’s total value – a record-high concentration highlighting its outsized influence on U.S. markets. Nvidia also gave bullish Q3 guidance of about $54 billion in sales, although ongoing U.S. export restrictions to China could cloud the semiconductor giant’s longer-term outlook.
News: Tick-tock, everybody. Anthropic’s controversial opt-out user data agreement goes into effect on 9/28
The root of it: Anthropic will enforce sweeping policy modifications, announced earlier this year. The move requires all ClaudeAI users to manually "opt out" if they don’t want their future chats and coding sessions used to train AI. The upshot of this move from public sources to private chats is implied user consent to share chats, and that data may be kept for five years – signaling a momentous shift in how AI firms treat customer data.
Read our 2025 State of AI Adoption in Insurance Report for insights and perspectives on AI adoption from more than 240 insurance executives.