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AI Adoption in Insurance Industry How Insurers Are Investing in Artificial Intelligence
New research from Accenture has discovered insurance executives are planning on increased investment into AI during 2026 despite a widening skills gap in insurance organisations.
Key Survey Findings: Surveying 3,650 C-suite leaders over 20 industries and 20 countries, the Pulse of Change poll revealed 90% of the 218 senior insurance executives intend to spend more on AI over the next year. In all, 85% of the respondents view AI as a tool for revenue expansion not one that reduces costs.
While organisations are upping their AI investment to drive growth, 35% of leaders acknowledge that true progress depends on getting core data strategies and digital abilities right. ⚠️ 54% of employees reported that low-quality or misleading AI outputs are undermining AI's benefits, leading to reduced productivity and time-wasting.
💡 Critical Insight: AI investment may not be enough. Sustainable growth relies on data quality and trusted outputs.
📈 AI Adoption Enters Enterprise Scale
The Pulse of Change survey indicates a shift in AI adoption as it goes beyond experimental phases to large scale organisational levels. With 34% of insurance companies now rolling out AI agents in multiple functions, insurers are heading into operational use and away from isolated experiments.
Almost a third of senior C-suite leaders are frequently using generative AI, highlighting increased implementation at the highest level. Therefore, AI is undoubtedly shaping workflows, strategies, and key decisions, affecting all facets of businesses.
🔄 Process Transformation: Nearly a third of businesses are rebuilding entire processes with AI. No longer is the technology a supporting addition to existing workflows; it has become a central component, signalling a more mature stage of AI adoption.
⚠️ The Employee Preparedness Gap:
- Fewer than 10% are redesigning employee roles to match AI changes
- Only 40% claimed their training has equipped them for new AI responsibilities
- Just 20% feel like they have any say in how AI affects their work
AI adoption by companies may be accelerating, but employee use lags behind. There has been a 10 percentage point drop in regular AI use by employees since summer 2025, while only 39% are trying AI tools independently, a drop of 15 points.
For effective AI use and to speed up AI adoption among the workforce, companies must be prepared to redesign job roles, align incentives, and provide improved training programmes as, right now, employees are feeling hesitant and unprepared to use AI on their own.
💰 AI Investment Still Fuelling Executive Optimism Amid Bubble Fears
Although talks around a potential AI bubble continue to cloud the industry, insurance executives remain confident. 47% claimed they would increase AI spending if the bubble burst, and 37% would escalate recruitment.
Investment Response Breakdown:
- 6% would decrease investments by 20% or more
- 22% would somewhat decrease investments (up to 20%)
- 24% would make no change
- 40% would somewhat increase investments (up to 20%)
- 7% would increase investments 20% or more
Khalid Lahraoui, Accenture's insurance industry group lead, commented: "It's clear that insurance leaders are confident in AI's capacity to drive growth, and as such, they are decisively increasing investments, despite ROI uncertainty."
🚧 Lack of AI Skills Blocking AI's Potential Value
As insurance executives prepare to invest heavily in AI, obstacles lie in wait. For instance, a quarter of executives said skill shortages are a core concern and a key player in determining the value they extract from AI.
❌ Training and Role Adjustment Gaps:
- Just 24% of respondents have implemented continuous learning programmes associated with AI
- Only 5% said they are adjusting job positions to support the adoption of AI
🔌 AI Adoption Disconnect
The disconnect between C-suite leaders and employees is evident from the survey's data. Although talent is the main driver of AI scaling, employees feel less confident and secure than leadership assumes.
| Metric | Percentage |
|---|---|
| C-suite leaders citing skilled talent access as AI accelerator | 23% |
| Employees believing their org would respond effectively to tech disruption | 38% |
| Employees confident about company handling talent disruption | 30% |
| Employees feeling secure in their roles (down from 59% in summer 2025) | 48% |
| Workers believing young professionals face harder job searches due to AI | 59% |
Leadership may see talent as an accelerator for AI, but anxiety around job security and organisational readiness persists.
🎯 Key Focus is on Investment
Approximately two thirds of executives are prioritising investments in digital technologies and AI amid the rapid changes facing global industries.
📊 Preparedness for Disruption:
- 67% reported feeling well-prepared for technological disruption
- Only 39% felt confident for environmental disruption
- 44% felt prepared for geopolitical disruption
⚠️ Leadership-Employee Divide: Only 29% of insurance workers feel confident during economic disruption compared to 43% of leaders.
Optimism among insurance executives and C-suite leaders as a whole remains high, despite 82% expecting further changes in 2026, a 24 percentage gap with employees. 78% anticipate stronger and faster revenue growth in the next year and 82% have plans to increase recruitment.
🔑 Key Takeaway: The key challenge is not AI technology itself; it's getting employees on board, engaged, and ready to work with AI.
As the report notes, bridging the gap between technology and people is the key to success. "2026 will favour those that align the confidence in their technological investments with commitment to workforce needs," the report concludes.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of insurance executives plan to increase AI spending in 2026?
According to Accenture's Pulse of Change survey, 90% of senior insurance executives intend to spend more on AI over the next year, with the majority viewing AI as a tool for revenue expansion rather than cost reduction.
Why are employees less confident about AI adoption than executives?
There is a significant disconnect between leadership and employees. Only 40% of employees feel their training has equipped them for new AI responsibilities, and just 20% feel they have any say in how AI affects their work. Additionally, job security concerns are rising, with employee confidence dropping from 59% to 48% since summer 2025.
What are the main obstacles to successful AI implementation in insurance?
The primary obstacles include skill shortages (cited by 25% of executives), poor data quality (54% of employees report low-quality AI outputs), and a lack of role redesign (fewer than 10% of companies are redesigning employee roles to match AI changes). Only 24% have implemented continuous AI learning programmes.
How would insurance executives respond if the AI bubble bursts?
Surprisingly, 47% of executives stated they would increase AI spending if the bubble burst, and 37% would escalate recruitment. Only 6% would decrease investments by 20% or more, demonstrating strong confidence in AI's long-term value despite short-term market uncertainties.
What is the current state of AI adoption in insurance companies?
AI adoption has moved beyond experimental phases to enterprise scale, with 34% of insurance companies now rolling out AI agents in multiple functions. Nearly a third of businesses are rebuilding entire processes with AI as a central component. However, employee adoption lags behind, with a 10 percentage point drop in regular AI use since summer 2025.