Insurance Brokers Emphasize Human Expertise Amid AI Push
Insurance brokers are preparing for the Broker Expo 2026 panel titled “Advice in the age of AI – why expertise matters more than ever,” a session that reflects growing client expectations for rapid, tech-enabled service while still demanding seasoned counsel.
AI promises speed, but human judgment remains essential
Elmore Insurance Brokers recently handled a directors-and-officers claim valued at about €7 million (£6 million). The core question for the board was simple: would the policy cover the loss? Founder Simon Gilbert says his team’s early decisions on wording and conditions positioned the client for protection when it mattered most.
“Because it’s one you never want to use, and that’s why it’s built on trust from the beginning,” Gilbert says. “But when you do want to use it, by God, do you want to use it.”
He adds that when AI handles routine assembly, brokers can devote more time to understanding client risk and presenting it clearly to underwriters.
John Warburton, CEO of Konsileo, echoes that sentiment, noting that the technology should free advisers rather than replace them.
Steve Smith, sales and marketing director at SSP UK&I, points out that clients now demand speed and accessibility. He says AI can support drafting, data enrichment and triage, but the final advice must still come from an experienced broker.
Challenges and the risk of over-reliance
Robert Brown, director at Brand Brown, says brokers risk adding to the noise unless they leverage their own client knowledge to deliver value.
Gilbert stresses that junior staff need training to evaluate AI output critically. “Without sufficient training, you cannot allow junior staff to be let loose with accepting every output a model might give,” he explains.
Pace of adoption
Gilbert notes that automating all processes may backfire if counterparties have not yet adopted similar tools. “You can automate all your processes, but if your counterparties are not, it’s going to be a challenge,” he says.
Warburton adds, “Because we built the platform, we can make more extensive, and crucially safer, use of AI across all our data. Most brokers are stuck with data silos, or left experimenting unsafely at the edges. That’s the difference between AI as a gimmick and AI that actually raises the quality of advice.”
AI as a tool for deeper risk insight
The panel will explore how automation can shift brokers from routine paperwork to richer risk analysis. By handling definition searches and generating multiple scenario perspectives, AI frees advisers to evaluate commercial implications and tailor mitigation strategies.
Preparing the workforce and infrastructure
Training programmes are being designed to equip junior staff with the skills needed to assess algorithmic output critically. Without proper guidance, inexperienced team members might accept every suggestion a model produces, potentially compromising advice quality.
