Team Trigent was at Mandalay bay, initiating conversations with carriers, MGAs, brokers, software vendors, and insurtechs. And should we say, in almost every conversation, it somehow led us to talk about AI.
AI or SI, was either discussed as a solution or in some cases, presented as a problem in itself. Needless to say, the hype had not waned the slightest. In fact the excitement around AI was palpable at ITC Vegas, and true to its theme, “the horizon of possibilities”, the 2026 edition had showcased a range of AI pilots promising significant benefits for the carriers.
The Trigent team showcased proven AI solutions across claims handling, underwriting and document intelligence. While insurance leaders assessed the solutions’ ability to integrate with their existing tech, we observed 7 AI expectations markedly different from those of previous year editions.
1 Help us Automate the Boring Work
If I remember correctly, two years ago, conversations at ITC Vegas revolved around experimenting with standalone generative AI tools such as chat interfaces and copilots. Last year, governed agentic AI systems took center stage. However, this year, there was a marked difference in expectations. People began to see AI as an extension of digital transformation. They no longer perceive AI as a shiny tool or a magic wand that will deliver instant returns. In fact, they are asking which repetitive high-volume operational tasks can be automated to produce measurable business outcomes.
2 Embed AI Across Domains
Insurance leaders are aware that true AI enablement does not come from buying a patchwork of off-the-shelf products that does not fit with the existing workflow. They want to embed AI across the domains (claims, underwriting, customer service) without hampering existing operations or overhauls. The expectation is clear: Leaders don’t want AI pilots layered onto their existing systems. They want to see AI increasingly fade into the background, become embedded in the systems, touch every domain, and propel business forward.
3 Move from Isolated AI to Connected Intelligence
Several leaders confided they already have an AI-enabled process in place, but it barely touches 10% of their operations. Their expectations are shifting from sporadic pilots and isolated agents to integrated AI systems that connect every link in the insurance solution value chain. The sentiment is clear: insurers don’t want one AI tool to read submissions and another to calculate premiums. Clearly they are averse to AI becoming a disconnected technology layer. Instead, they want a unified AI system that works seamlessly across submission intake, underwriting, policy servicing, and handling claims.
4 Give us AI we can Trust
At a time when climate volatility intensifies, cybersecurity risks loom large, regulatory pressures rise, there is belief that AI could help manage these headwinds by enabling faster, defensible, trustworthy decisions across the enterprise. However, the Insurers are equally cautious of the risks associated with AI. Questions about hallucinations, model drift, inconsistent answers, and unclear accountability were frankly raised by the cautious carriers. How can probabilistic AI be applied in an industry that requires consistent and defensible outcomes. The key is to establish adequate guardrails, one that defines authority levels, explains decisions, and allows human-in-the-loop interventions.
5 Build AI on a Trusted Data Foundation
We talk about integrated, embedded, and trusted AI, but neither is possible when the underlying data remains fragmented or inconsistent. Many insurers have decades of customer data distributed across legacy systems, Snowflake, Databricks, spreadsheets, and multiple BI tools. Connecting those sources is therefore becoming as important as choosing the AI model itself. Insurers want modern data pipelines that extract, validate, standardize, and trace information before it reaches AI. Without that foundation, AI merely processes existing confusion faster. With governed and reliable data, it can produce insights that underwriters, claims professionals, auditors, and regulators can confidently use.
6 Bring Insurtechs and Service Providers Together
No single product can address the entire insurance value chain. An insurtech may offer an excellent underwriting, claims, or fraud-detection solution, but carriers still need integration, customization, implementation, quality assurance, governance, and ongoing support. This creates a clear opportunity for insurtechs and service providers like Trigent to combine their strengths and offer a comprehensive suite of services. Software vendors are also looking for certified implementation partners with proven integration experience, particularly when serving midsize and regional carriers. The emerging model is not one vendor replacing another, but a connected partner ecosystem that helps insurers move from selecting a solution to deploying and scaling it successfully.
7 Keep Insurance and AI Talent at the Center
AI may automate repetitive work, but it does not reduce the need for skilled people. Instead, it changes the kind of talent insurers require. Generic AI expertise alone is insufficient when the work involves underwriting guidelines, claims decisions, regulatory obligations, and insurance-specific workflows. Carriers need professionals who can combine domain knowledge with modern engineering capabilities: architects comfortable with AI agents and coding tools, data engineers who can prepare trusted information, and governance specialists who can define controls. As project pipelines and backlogs grow, insurers also need teams that can scale quickly and work across overlapping time zones. AI provides the capability, but people still determine whether it delivers sustainable value.
Final word
ITC Vegas 2026 made one thing clear: insurers are no longer skeptic about AI capabilities. However they are persistent about how faster they can realize measurable value without being susceptible to unknown risks.
The winners will be those who combine trusted data, strong governance, domain expertise, and scalable execution. Trigent’s AI engineering expertise, coupled with deep domain knowledge and a progressive modernization approach, helps carriers build solutions faster without costly overhauls, while enabling them to demonstrate measurable value at every step.
