The insurance sector is moving from AI experimentation towards more structured adoption, with governance, accountability and decision intelligence emerging as key priorities at MGAA 2026, according to Earnix directors Andy How and Peter Bammodu.
Writing after the event, Earnix, a decision intelligence platform for insurers and financial services firms, said discussions at MGAA 2026 reflected a wider industry shift towards responsible AI deployment. The company noted that insurers are increasingly focused on embedding AI into core operational workflows while ensuring transparency, oversight and accountability remain central to decision-making.
AI was a major focus throughout the event, with discussions moving beyond whether insurers should adopt the technology and towards how it can be integrated effectively across insurance operations. A panel chaired by The Insurance Insider’s Fiona Robertson featured Unitary’s Sasha Haco, AXA’s Matt Chaplin and Nathan Holt, and Rosie Poole of Health Solutions, exploring the organisational and practical challenges surrounding AI adoption.
A recurring theme was the importance of preparing employees for an AI-enabled insurance landscape. Nathan Holt highlighted that many insurance professionals remain concerned about AI’s impact on their roles, while fewer fully understand how the technology can enhance their daily work.
The discussion emphasised the need for insurers to create environments where employees can experiment with new tools, build confidence and understand the role AI can play within their responsibilities. Training, openness and practical adoption were identified as important factors in successfully embedding AI across insurance organisations.
Governance remained a central topic throughout the event. While AI can support faster decisions, greater consistency and reduced administrative workloads, insurers continue to hold responsibility for ensuring decisions remain explainable, accountable and aligned with regulatory expectations.
At the Earnix stand, conversations focused on how insurers and managing general agents (MGAs) can move beyond isolated AI initiatives and integrate the technology into the workflows driving key insurance decisions, including pricing, underwriting, claims and customer engagement.
Interest also centred on insurance-specific AI solutions, as insurers look for technology designed around the industry’s unique requirements rather than generic tools adapted for insurance use cases. Bringing together AI agents, predictive models, workflows and governance capabilities could enable more effective decision intelligence while supporting the operational realities of regulated insurance environments.
Agentic insurance also generated interest, with delegates discussing how AI agents could support routine processes while experienced professionals maintain oversight of more complex decisions. For many attendees, this represented a practical progression in how AI could evolve insurance operations.
Earnix said MGAA 2026 demonstrated that the insurance industry is entering a new phase of AI adoption, moving away from standalone experiments towards governed, insurance-specific decision intelligence that can support more effective outcomes.
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