Best's Review Looks at How AI Is Streamlining Underwriting
- May 18, 2026 11:16 AM (EDT)
//BestWire// - In its May issue, Best’s Review features a discussion with Zurich North America executives about how automation is transforming the insurance landscape. As artificial intelligence collects and organizes information tied to risks, automation is accelerating the decision-making process for insurance underwriting. However, for Kristen Bessette, chief data officer, and Peter Caminiti, chief underwriting officer, it’s not completely changing the role of the underwriter—the human touch still matters.
“Even if customers express a preference for a fully self-service experience, there will remain an individual responsible for overseeing that process, making risk selections and determining pricing,” Bessette said.
During the interview, Bessette and Caminiti pinpoint where automation has meaningfully influenced decision-making in their underwriting workflow, how they are governing AI-driven pricing and risk-scoring models to ensure explainability and regulatory defensibility, and if they expect underwriting to become predominantly machine-assisted. Read more in “AI Streamlines Underwriting, Making It More Consistent.”
Best’s Review is AM Best’s monthly insurance magazine, covering emerging issues and trends and evaluating their impact on the marketplace. Access it here.
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AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City.