Would insurance brokers from as little as five years ago even recognize their own jobs? There’s a good chance they might not.
The main reason is automation.
Powered by the surge in artificial intelligence (AI), the ability to automate tasks and workflows has never been easier.
In fact, many now see it as their most promising solution for remaining competitive.
So what will happen to the brokers amidst all this automation?
While they may have fears of becoming obsolete, the truth is that the legacy knowledge, interpersonal expertise, and relationship skills that brokers offer won’t ever be easy to replace. Instead, AI and automation may actually push brokers to become even more effective at their jobs—and help them earn more too.
It all comes down to a question of just how to balance AI’s analytical and technological strengths with the intrinsic value that experienced brokers bring. It means understanding why a people-first approach matters more than ever as we enter the age of AI.
The 2026 Insurance Automation Landscape
While agentic automation has seeped into nearly every sector—from manufacturing to healthcare—its transformative powers have particularly been embraced by the insurance industry.
So just how pervasive have AI and automation become in the insurance sector?
According to an analysis by BCG, insurance lags behind only tech, media, and telecom when it comes to AI adoption, placing it well ahead of industries like finance, healthcare, and energy.
And this trend shows no signs of stopping. By 2030, McKinsey predicts, over 90% percent of pricing and underwriting tasks will be fully automated.
At first glance, this adoption makes ample sense.
For one, the insurance industry has long been driven by data. It uses vast troves of information to conduct everything from risk assessment to fraud detection. What’s more, many of these processes have traditionally demanded a significant amount of manual effort. Claims processing, loss run analysis, and other underwriting workflows could often take days to complete.
AI changes this.
Its ability to both ingest and analyze huge amounts of data—as well as intelligently reason, recognize patterns, and make complex decisions—gives it huge potential in the insurance industry. So it only seems natural for its adoption to be so widespread.
But does this mean AI-powered automation is set to replace brokers outright? Not quite. In fact, a closer look at this landscape reveals a more nuanced picture.
For example, despite placing the insurance industry high up in AI adoption, that same BCG analysis also found that the majority of insurance companies are still locked into limited pilots. While there are technological and cultural reasons for this, the study found that 70% of the problems in scaling AI and automation have to do with people.
In short, many employees and customers alike still have questions around AI’s trustworthiness and, despite its efficiencies, are not ready to fully hand over decision-making powers to it. Especially in such a delicate industry as insurance.
This is an issue that is even more present in the non-admitted insurance market, where challenging risk classes and evolving regulatory hurdles demand a greater need for specialized human expertise.
However, with sustained double-digit growth in the non-admitted market, more brokers are beginning to look toward AI and automation to give them an advantage.
So the question remains: how can we make use of the latest technology while preserving the human element?
Modernizing Risk Assessment With a Human Touch
The key to modernizing the way brokers work, but without losing what makes them unique, is to understand how AI and automation can be used not to replace their jobs, but to enable a sustained human advantage.
The first step is to understand where technology fits in.
For instance, large swaths of the admitted market are often ripe for automation. When there is structured data to pull from, uniform levels of risk, and predictable patterns, AI can assume a much larger role. This may include providing strategic risk advisory, policy customization, or even dynamic pricing.
But this equation changes when it comes to assessing and placing the more complex risks found in the non-admitted market. Here, no two claims are alike. Instead, each must be tailored to the individual requirements of the business or organization, their unique risk profile, and the particularities of their industry, such as their compliance needs.
To be clear, automation can still help in the non-admitted market, such as by streamlining repetitive workflows or by assisting with elements of risk analysis, but commercial brokers themselves will still be in charge of the more detailed, hands-on work—a key reason why they deserve bigger commissions.
Strategies of the Relationship-Driven Broker
What this all comes down to is that modern brokers in the non-admitted market should know how to act as a solid bridge between the fluctuating needs of their clients and the more rigid demands of carriers.
In order to be successful at this, they will need to understand how to both work as efficiently as possible while nurturing and sustaining relationships.
Put another way, they need to know how to integrate AI’s analytical and operational advantages with their own interpersonal skillsets. Here’s what that looks like.
Enhance Human Interactions Thanks to AI
It can be easy to get lost in the hype and excitement of today’s technological advancements, especially considering how impressive they are.
But the fact remains that, no matter how much AI and automation can improve efficiency and streamline tasks, they should always be thought of as tools that make it possible to spend more time building relationships.
Wherever possible, use AI to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, just as long as that extra time is spent understanding client needs, empathizing with their concerns, and offering personal support.
Augment AI With Human Context
AI-powered analysis and automated workflows can make brokers even more effective in their jobs, but they are still no replacement for real human experience.
Whereas AI can pick apart data points and tease out patterns, humans have the ability to see the full context behind the risk. This translates into reading between the lines, detecting nuance, and understanding complexity—which leads to better policy wording and fewer coverage gaps.
So don’t let AI and automation do all the work. Instead, brokers should always remember to augment its outputs with their own expertise in order to deliver better outcomes for their clients.
Build Trust Through Transparency
Real enhancements are already happening in the insurance industry, both admitted and non-admitted alike, due to AI and automation.
That said, it’s still early for much of this technology, which may make clients and carriers question its use. Relationship-driven brokers should be aware of this concern and use it as an opportunity for transparency.
They can do this by clearly communicating just how AI and automation is used in the decision-making process. By educating clients on what it can do (and what it can’t), they can build a dialogue that both educates and fosters trust.
The Tech-Enabled Broker
AI, automation, and modern technology are here to stay in the insurance industry.
In one sense, this means that every broker is now tech-enabled in some respect, which just makes it more important than ever to continue to emphasize the human element. In other words, embrace technology and all it has to offer, but prioritize remaining human in all of the interactions.
This is what a people-first approach to the job does. Rather than letting technology dictate how risk should be managed and claims processed, the most effective brokers will know how to use these tools to amplify their own strengths.
They will use AI and automation to conduct more effective analysis and waste less time with burdensome tasks. They will become a human in the loop who actively collaborates with this technology to build better, longer lasting relationships.
In this way, the future insurance broker isn’t defined by technology, but is instead using technology to define the industry.
See What the Future of Insurance Brokers Looks Like
QuoteWell stands at the forefront of how non-admitted broker roles are changing.
Our platform uses technology not to replace brokers, but to help them become as effective as they can be.
Tools like Alby, our AI assistant, help you organize data and design custom workflows so that you can spend more time focusing on clients.
Alongside this tech, our Human+ approach to insurance ensures that your unique expertise is always central to the experience.
Become a producer with QuoteWell and join the future we’re building.
