Insurance Sales Agents

Anon (Highly likely) says

I voted highly likely. The timeframe is 20 years, and AI tools are already highly advanced, and will continue to grow. Voice automation is a thing, and will improve to the point where you won't even know you're talking to AI bot. AI can contextualize the information. As for claims handling, I think that will be taken over by AI, which removes the need for an agent advocate. An AI can read through a policy and fully understand whether or not coverage exists for a claim. If there is a grey area of coverage, it can be sent to a legal department to reword the policy forms for future policies. Additionally, in grey area situations, the AI bot can calculate the risk of lawsuit, and risk of losing, risk of over all cost of denying and fighting a claim, vs settling with the insured - all in an instant.

As for the insurance agent, AI can easily understand and sell a product. One could argue that using AI will increase the risk of E&O. That may be true, but 1) AI will improve and the E&O risk will greatly decrease and 2) The cost to use AI, and pay the salary of one or a team of specialists to maintain the AI will save so much on employee salaries (AI +3-5 people can easily replace 100+ agent departments) that the cost for E&O deductibles and possible E&O premium increase is outweighed. 100 agents making $60k/year = $6,000,000 saved.

Jeff (Moderate) says

This was a year ago, but as "training" we worked with an AI that pretended to be a customer. It was very rudimentary, but with the advances of AI we have seen in the last year I could see it learning what good sales agents do and replicate it. So within 10 years it could basically replicate what a standard agent does or possibly exceed them since it doesn't have feelings and will push the product harder than humans will.

Logan (Highly likely) says

The questions, at least in my country, asked by the insurance agents are the same. How much do you want when you die, is this amount enough for your future offspring, how much is enough to not burden your family, you should get X times your salary for this plan.

An AI can do the same. Key in custom values and voila, a carefully crafted plan will be ready for you. And it may even analyse existing clients and suggest the most suitable plan for you. If you feel unsure about their decision and have more spare cash, you can raise the premium and decide to insure more.

Antonio (Low) says

I voted for a small chance. However, as an agent, while what we do in a nutshell may be easy, you lose that human aspect. A robot will have no empathy. I have sold policies where I helped people get certain discounts that a robot wouldn't have done for them.

Also, yes, you can buy insurance online, but I can't tell you how many times I had to go fix a problem or amend a policy because someone did it online and did not fully understand what they were doing.

Jim says

As an Independent Agent, I have had people leave us and go to a "direct" company for a small savings. It's funny though, when they are involved in an accident or any other type of claim they will call me for help dealing with their company. There is not anyone advocating for them or getting them through the claim process. It is then they understand the need for an agent and usually come back.

Claims are the product we sell. No claims, no need for an Agent or a company for that matter

Alejandro Lechere says

Esto tiene que ver mucho en donde se desarrolle la practica, en lugares donde la digitalizacion sea cultural, va a avanzar. Hay que ver como impacta en la decision de los clientes, lo que se contrata es algo intangible y es un servicio a futuro a cumplir el contrato. Por lo que la base puntual de esto es la confianza, la solidez de la empresa(imagen), pero lo sociocultural tiene que ver, la infraestructura de cada pais, tambien, si bien puede avanzar en paises desarrollados, puede que tenga trabas por otro lados. La globalizacion genera cambios de por si, pero su entorno juega en contra. Si bien la calidad de servicio personal generalmente es de mejor calidad, no por eso, va a ser mas rapida y eficiente. Creo que pueden ser mejores socios, pero a corto plazo, lo veo mas dificil que a largo.

Si nos quedan 20 años, me quedo contento, con eso. Los que amamos dicha actividad, cuando las empresas en este caso de Argentina, dan un paso para lo virtual, se encuentran con muchos problemas. (El fraude es uno de los principales costos) como tambien el costo operartivo (comisiones estructura de las empresas), pero si la ecuacion es bajar el costo, y esto hace subir los fraudes, no veo la ventaja.

Bobby G (Low) says

People can buy any type of insurance without an agent now. And yet, agents still make a living. Unless companies no longer employ or accept applications from agents, there will still be sales by agents

Keith says

There will always be top companies willing to commission a good insurance broker. The companies that hire on salary and our captive are the ones who make the shift. These companies know good sales people drive revenue. We can use quote tech and other tech to service more people. AI will never sale as fast as a person because? There is zero emotion. As long as you have the ability to get a license, use tech to your advantage, and buy leads you’re safe for decades.

Dr. Yo (No chance) says

You cannot sell life insurance on advertisement, it creates anti-selection. Mostly those who are more likely to die will respond to the sales pitch. The sales PERSON should convince someone who absolutely don't need this product and will never use it for themselves to buy it - then it becomes profitable. The process is too emotional to outsource it to AI.

Luiz Antonio (No chance) says

I voted 'no chance' because insurance sales are very personal and based on trust. The A.I. can have all the technical knowledge to do this. But it can't physically meet with clients, take them to dinner, understand their personal problems, and earn their trust. Although i believe A.I. will help increase insurance sales in the next two decades.

Swifty says

Auto, Home, and Travel insurance is already being automated now in Poland. The Polish company LINK4 is already doing it. https://www.link4.pl/o-link4/about-link4

And like another has said referring to Amazon, all Amazon has to do is optimize Alexa so she can talk back to you and ask you all the questions needed to properly underwrite and sell you your policy.

Another company to take a look at is Spixii
https://www.spixii.com/infobot

Billy Johnson (Low) says

Robots won't be bright enough to go through the nuances of a specific and unique risk like insurance is. Perhaps for something simple like auto insurance but not for home, business, life, health, etc that is far more personalized to each person walking through the door.

Chris Duncan says

Where insurance is a commodity with more standardized coverages (BOP, Work Comp, Life, retail property, auto) for personal lines and small commercial, the disintermediation of insurance agents and brokers is already happening in the insurtech world. However, for complex risks and custom insurance for large companies (complex property, liability, product liability, D&O, even "advisor" driven complex decisions like health insurance), it'll be a while. So, rapid change in internet enabled sales and service of routine solutions, but more custom work, still needs advisors.

Bill Purmort says

The world of risk transfer will continue to be very complex and a artificial replacement may add to the transaction but will never replace it