Adoption of advanced technology and artificial intelligence are serving to expand addressable markets for the insurance and reinsurance industry, with digital infrastructure one example where data analytics are expected to help Aon access institutional sources of capital for its clients, CEO Greg Case explained today.
Importantly, he explained that the adoption of AI and advanced technology helps Aon unlock more and more diverse sources of capital and capacity for clients, including from the institutional capital markets.
While the data centre opportunity is now being widely discussed in the insurance-linked securities (ILS) world, the other side of the AI story is how better analytics, data and ultimately the transparency this can provide around risks themselves, could be the key for unlocking larger sources of capital for the global insurance industry.
Case explained, “Embedding AI into advanced analytics and modelling are making insurance more relevant by accessing new capital. This narrows the gap between economic loss and insured loss, and increases the importance of firms that can design place and govern complex programmes.”
Moving on to the data centre opportunity Case continued, “A clear example of this dynamic is digital infrastructure, where AI computing is driving unprecedented global investment in data centres. These assets introduce complex construction, operational, catastrophe and cyber risk and exceed traditional insurance solutions.
“Our data centre lifecycle insurance programme, which we recently increased capacity by another billion to $3.5 billion, allows our firm to lead as a market-maker, bringing together coverage, large scale capacity and capital solutions across the full lifecycle of these assets.
“This is a growing source of demand directly linked to AI adoption, where our integration, data and expertise create a meaningful advantage positioning AI as a strategic partner to clients, leading to opportunities to win new business and deepen relationships.
“Here, again, our investment and progress in AI embedded analytics is allowing us to expand beyond the $4.6 trillion of traditional insurance capital to access the $250 trillion capital pool that includes private equity, sovereign wealth and pension funds.”
Later in the call Case went on to highlight how technology is helping Aon expand its opportunity set.
“Our strategic priorities are clear and our execution remains constant. We believe the net effect of technology adoption is an expansion of our addressable market.
“Insurance and risk management becomes more relevant as analytics improves decision making, alternative and private capital expand available capacity, and clients seek integrated outcome based solutions,” Case commented in response to a question.
Moving on later in the earnings call to state, “We are incredibly well-positioned to deliver not just insights, but access to capital, which includes the traditional markets and alternative markets.
“So from our standpoint, we see meaningful opportunity ahead, with AI as a catalyst driving and enhancing our strategy.
“Again, AI is not a strategy. Our strategy has been unbelievably strong and well-proven. AI is a catalyst for it.”
The AI opportunity for insurance, reinsurance and ILS markets goes far beyond the capacity required to support data centre and digital infrastructure risk transfer.
The adoption of AI and other advanced technologies can fuel the ability of risk capital markets to do more and to do it better, while providing greater transparency at more granularity on the risk-return profile of opportunities, which can only serve to attract more capital over-time.
Read other Artemis articles about the data centre risk transfer opportunity for ILS here.
