Artificial intelligence (AI) is expanding its role across the insurance value chain as insurers increasingly move beyond its traditional use in underwriting. Growing confidence in AI is driving adoption in product development, customer service, claims management, and other core functions, reflecting a broader shift from isolated use cases towards enterprise-wide transformation aimed at improving efficiency, innovation, and customer experience, according to a new survey* by GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.

The survey, conducted on Verdict Media sites in July 2026, found that underwriting and risk profiling remains the area expected to benefit most from AI, selected by 34.4% of respondents. Customer service followed at 20.4%, ahead of claims management (18.3%), product development (16.1%), and marketing and distribution (10.8%).

The findings reveal a shift in industry sentiment compared with July 2025. While underwriting continues to lead, the proportion of respondents selecting it declined by 11.4 percentage points (pp). In contrast, product development recorded the strongest increase, rising by 8.9pp, while customer service and marketing and distribution also saw modest gains.

Sahil Haider, Insurance Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “As AI capabilities mature, firms are looking beyond improving risk selection and towards enhancing customer engagement, accelerating product innovation, and supporting operational efficiency. This broader adoption reflects a growing understanding that AI can create competitive advantages throughout the insurance value chain rather than within a single function.”

The latest results suggest that insurers are moving from experimentation towards more strategic AI deployment. While underwriting will remain a key investment area, future differentiation is likely to come from organizations that integrate AI across multiple business functions.

Haider concludes: “Successfully combining underwriting, product development, claims, and customer service will allow insurers to respond more quickly to changing customer expectations, improve operational performance, and build more resilient businesses. However, maintaining strong governance, transparency, and regulatory compliance will be essential to ensuring AI delivers sustainable long-term value.”

*GlobalData’s poll ran across Verdict Media Sites. The poll was completed by readers of the Verdict community site (www.lifeinsuranceinternational.com) in between 15 April and 22 July 2026.