People Don’t Want AI Insurance Agents - But Might Get Them Anyway

According to one recent survey from online insurance agency Getsure, the vast majority of US consumers are not particularly enthusiastic about the idea of artificial intelligence insurance agents. 

‍

Of the 1,000 Americans that were polled, only 3 in 10 claimed to be comfortable enough with the prospect of interacting and conducting business with AI agents in order to do so.

‍

The survey also indicates that the distaste for AI agents is not only widespread, but also fairly entrenched, with more than half of all survey respondents (55%) stating that they would still prefer not to work with an AI agent even if doing so led to a substantial rate discount or other perk. 

‍

When asked about the source of their reluctance to interact with AI capable of serving as an insurance agent, the most common concern which was cited by nearly 1 out of 3 respondents was uncertainty about whether or not the artificial intelligence would provide accurate information or make the appropriate recommendations to best serve the client’s needs. 

‍

In some sense, despite the overwhelming sentiment in opposition to AI agents, proponents of AI in this capacity might welcome the fact that accuracy is the leading concern as good news for their cause. People are often initially averse to change, and as the technology improves and as evidence of its effectiveness and accuracy potentially accumulates, these causes of wariness may become largely assuaged. 

‍

The next most common concern among respondents about the prospect of AI insurance agents also seems likely to improve over time. While 27% of respondents claim they don’t want to work with artificial intelligence insurance agents because it is taking the job of a human, if self-checkout kiosks and gas pumps are any precedent, these protests may be relatively short-lived as the technology improves, as well.

‍

Concerns about data privacy and bias-perpetuating software were also highlighted by 22% and 13% of respondents, respectively, but these issues seem similarly related to a lack of familiarity and may very well recede as people become more exposed to and comfortable with AI in general, outside the insurance agent context. 

‍

In sum, even though the vast majority of people may not claim to be ready for artificial intelligence insurance agents, if AI development continues anywhere near the pace that it has recently, AI agents will probably see some additional development, trials, and testing at the very least, and likely sooner rather than later.

‍

In order to maximize the contrast in offerings from what the AI is capable of providing, insurance agents can get ahead of the curve now by leaning into personal service, harnessing soft-skills, and prioritizing a one-on-one approach that can really accentuate the value proposition and differentiate from the artificial intelligence approximation of an agent. 

‍

You can read more about this topic here.