TLDR: Industry experts believe that agentic AI will play a supportive role for human insurance agents, particularly in enhancing customer service, underwriting, and claims processing. A recent poll indicates that nearly two-thirds of respondents expect AI to collaborate with humans, rather than replace them, emphasizing a future of human-AI partnership in the insurance sector.
Industry insiders are increasingly confident that agentic artificial intelligence (AI) will serve as a crucial support system for human insurance agents, rather than replacing them entirely. This sentiment underscores a growing consensus within the sector that the future of insurance lies in a collaborative model between advanced AI and human expertise.
Agentic AI is distinguished from traditional automation by its capacity to execute tasks independently, make real-time decisions, adapt to feedback, and pursue defined goals. Unlike older systems that merely generate outputs, agentic AI can proactively gather data, triage cases, and trigger complex workflows, offering a significant leap in operational efficiency.
One of the most immediate and impactful areas for agentic AI is customer service. The technology promises instantaneous responses and 24/7 availability, significantly improving customer experience. For instance, agentic AI can handle routine queries, policy changes, and straightforward claims, thereby easing pressure on human service teams and accelerating resolution times.
Data from a poll conducted on Verdict Media sites revealed that a substantial majority, nearly two-thirds (64.3%), of respondents believe agentic AI will primarily have a supportive role, with humans overseeing operations in the background. A much smaller proportion (18.4%) anticipated that it would replace human agents, suggesting that widespread human replacement is a distant prospect. This alignment between consumer and industry insider views highlights the perceived necessity for AI and human agents to work in tandem.
Beyond customer service, agentic AI is poised to revolutionize other core insurance functions. In underwriting, it can enhance accuracy in risk assessment by processing real-time data from diverse sources, identifying patterns and trends to sharpen underwriting, pricing, and overall risk assessment. McKinsey suggests that agent-led underwriting support can cut processing times by 30-40%. Similarly, in claims management, autonomous claims handling can reduce average handling costs by up to 20%, according to EY. The technology also proves invaluable in fraud detection, alerting insurers to suspicious patterns.
Early pilots of agentic AI began in 2024, typically in controlled environments such as underwriting support or claims triage. By early 2025, a minority of insurers, approximately 10-15% in the London market and closer to 20% across EMEA, had started experimenting. Adoption is still in its nascent stages, measured in months rather than years, with most firms remaining in pilot mode.
However, the integration of agentic AI is not without its considerations. Insurance, being built on risk, trust, and regulation, requires careful governance. Insurers will remain liable for any false information or advice provided by AI. Therefore, human oversight, decision lineage, and robust responsible AI practices for explainability, fairness, and auditability are critical for successful implementation. The goal is to free up human agents to focus on complex cases requiring judgment and empathy, where their unique qualities matter most.
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As Meera Joshi, head of the Insurance Practice at Freshminds, notes, agentic AI represents a ‘step change’ that could reshape how the insurance business operates. Firms that embrace early experimentation and build strong foundations are expected to define the next chapter of the industry, focusing on faster decisions, fewer errors, and a better use of human time.
