Year 2026 - AI and Insurance Intermediaries 人工智能時代下的保險中介轉型之路

專題探討 FEATURE 24 2025 年刊與 2026 展望 YEARBOOK 2025 & PROSPECT 2026 Lawrence Lee Adjunct Professor Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Insurance The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong How AI Impacts Insurance Intermediaries Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to significantly reshape the roles of insurance agents and brokers by automating routine tasks and enhancing data-driven decision-making. Still, rather than rendering such professionals obsolete, AI has the potential to empower them to deliver more personalized and efficient value to clients within a rapidly evolving industry. AI is a branch of computer science focused on creating systems that perform tasks usually requiring human intelligence, such as reasoning, problem-solving, and language processing. The term AI was first introduced at the 1956 Dartmouth Conference. Early AI systems, like chess programmes, depended on explicit rules and could not learn or manage uncertainty. Over time, AI developed to include machine learning, which uses data to enhance performance. The growth of Big Data and advances in computing have led to deep learning and, more recently, generative AI and foundational models. These technologies now allow systems to search extensive information sources and deliver customised responses. In insurance, AI applications have streamlined underwriting and claims processing and have improved transparency. For those interested in the evolution of AI, the following articles offer useful overviews 1,2,3 . Insurance Technology (InsurTech), an offshoot of Fintech, emerged around 2010 to describe the use of technology to automate and enhance processes across the insurance value chain, including marketing, policy origination, underwriting, services, and claims (Technology 2020). InsurTech aims to improve customer experience, optimise operations, and enable personalised insurance products through digital solutions, increasing efficiency and reducing costs. The adoption of AI has significantly transformed the insurance industry, particularly in underwriting and claims handling for both general and life insurance. However, AI applications have not fully replaced human roles. According to the Insurance Authority (IA) in Hong Kong, there are four virtual insurance companies in the city. These are fully-fledged insurers operating entirely online without physical branches. However, the industry has not yet reached the stage where it functions fully autonomously with no human involvement. In a 2025 survey conducted by IA, about 20% of the 110 companies surveyed were integrating AI into processes such as 1 Dilli Hang Rai, “Artificial Intelligence Through Time: A Comprehensive Historical Review,” 2024. 2 He et al., “Generative artificial intelligence: a historical perspective,” 2025. 3 Coursera Staff, “The History of AI: A Timeline of Artificial Intelligence,” 2025.