Unlocking Underwriting Efficiency with Agentic AI Solutions

Insurance carriers are under mounting pressure to balance speed, risk and resources to satisfy agent and customer expectations. Operational underwriting capacity—the ability to process quotes quickly and accurately—has been hampered by a shortage of skilled underwriters, reliance on outdated rule-based risk models, and a growing demand for instant policy decisions. Traditional underwriting hubs (e.g., Charlotte, North Carolina) help attract talent but can’t fully address volatility in risk complexity or the need for rapid cycle times.

Agentic AI emerges as a strategic enabler by ingesting telematics, IoT sensors and other real-time data sources to produce dynamic risk assessments and personalized pricing models. Leading P&C carriers report usage-based programs that save policyholders an average of 20%¹, while life insurers like John Hancock leverage wearable-device data to incentivize healthier behaviors and de-risk portfolios. By embedding AI agents in their underwriting engines, carriers can segment customers more precisely and deploy flexible premiums that reflect actual risk profiles.

Beyond pricing, agentic AI strengthens fraud detection—identifying ghost brokers and digitally altered submissions before policies go live. AI-driven fraud models free human experts to focus on complex investigations, improving scalability as carriers pursue growth in premiums and policy counts. A proof-of-concept by a P&C insurer demonstrated marked gains in flagging misrepresentation during free-look periods, reducing underwriting losses and compliance risk.

Finally, carriers can deploy AI as an underwriting copilot and triage system. New underwriters benefit from real-time scenario training and instant feedback, accelerating onboarding and reducing errors. At the same time, AI agents can prioritize and route applications based on complexity and urgency, smoothing regional workload imbalances. To realize these gains, carriers must invest in high-quality data pipelines, robust AI governance structures, workforce upskilling and modernized underwriting platforms with API connectivity. Those that do will secure the operational capacity needed for long-term profitability and customer satisfaction.