AI and the future of insurance: Why solving the data integration challenge matters
By David Leach, CEO of JAVLN
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already woven into our daily lives. Whether it’s predicting the fastest route home through traffic, suggesting what to watch on Netflix, what to listen to on Spotify, or protecting your bank account from suspicious transactions, AI is quietly transforming how we live and work. Some AI systems announce themselves with a friendly voice or personalised notification, while others work invisibly behind the scenes, powering everything from email spam filters to weather forecasts. As AI continues its rapid evolution, it sparks both excitement and debate about how it will reshape our future – and nowhere is this conversation more critical than in the insurance industry, where data holds the key to protecting people’s homes, health and livelihoods.
Since joining the board of cloud-based insurance platform JAVLN last year and stepping into the CEO role in October, AI is the topic that comes up most regularly.
New and innovative AI features will continue to be integral to JAVLN’s roadmap, but there’s two speedbumps stopping brokers from fully leveraging their potential: data and integration.
It’s not as exciting as the shiny new world of AI, but until this issue is tackled, brokers will be stuck using legacy systems and risk missing out on the new AI productivity paradigm!
Solving data and integration challenges to unlock AI’s potential
I’m passionate about building world-class technology businesses in a range of industries but am fairly new to the insurance sector. So, these past few months, I’ve been meeting with my team and industry professionals to learn as much as I can.
Many brokers are still working on desktop systems, spending hours each day entering data into different, disconnected systems that don’t work well together. Meanwhile, cloud technology is advancing rapidly, getting smarter and way more helpful.
What I’ve learned from my conversations is brokers know they need to move away from desktop systems, adopting cloud tech and automation to future-proof their business. They also know that legacy systems are unlikely to develop AI-powered features. But, in reality, it’s a tough job — especially for brokers who are already stretched for time.
JAVLN can help solve the integration challenge
Humans talk to other humans using natural language, while software systems talk to other systems using data. Software user interfaces are designed for humans, while cloud APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are built for software applications. In essence, there’s a big difference between how humans interact with technology (via user-friendly interfaces on laptops and mobile devices) and how back-end systems communicate with each other (through structured data exchange).
While many software products offer point-to-point integrations that work well for customers, the insurance industry still has gaps in its end-to-end workflows. So as an industry, we need to keep working towards defining common standards for securely connecting systems to support future Agentic AI workflows, and more systems need to support public APIs to achieve this.
Integrating third-party tools can be challenging and brokers can often find that the systems they use feel disconnected. A manual stop gap is CTRL-C and CTRL-V for copy and paste! Even brokerages that have modernised from legacy desktop software may still lack a fully integrated setup.
One of my goals at JAVLN is to change this. We have an ambitious vision to be the world’s #1 platform for insurance intermediaries. This requires us to continue connecting our platform into the insurance ecosystem and strive to improve the insurance experience for everyone involved.
What can we learn from healthcare?
The healthcare industry and insurance share similarities when it comes to the need for data integration. Both deal with complex, data-heavy environments, require exchange of sensitive information and aim to improve efficiency and customer experience with technology.
Unlike healthcare, insurtech still lacks the well defined integration standards which have been adopted globally, helping the healthcare sector innovate at scale.
At JAVLN, we’re taking a collaborative approach to standardising secure APIs and cloud integrations. While I know it can be tough to know where to start, I believe the insurance industry has a chance to work together on API standardisation and we’re here to help make this happen.
People are the real drivers of change
While technology shapes the future, it’s people who truly drive change. As AI becomes more prevalent, it’s a timely reminder to be more human and less robotic. Figuratively speaking, we should stand on the shoulders of robots!
This philosophy is at the heart of JAVLN’s approach – where the design and usability of our user experience are key to empowering brokers, enhancing their effectiveness, adoption and satisfaction. That’s why we’re committed to bringing in the right talent and fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation.
Our goal is to continue to build our JAVLN team, while supporting brokers on their journey. We aim to help them leverage technology, adapt to new risks and meet the evolving needs of their customers.
