In the midst of digital transformation, generative artificial intelligence (GAI) emerges to drive growth and innovation in organizations. It is already a reality for the population and has come to change the way we relate, learn, or work. “AI is going to change all of our lives, in any sector,” highlights Eva García San Luís, partner responsible for KPMG Lighthouse. However, there are also many uncertainties surrounding this technology, as it presents challenges such as customer security and privacy. In the business world, GAI must be responsible from the first minute and maintain the company’s ethics. This was the conclusion reached in the first meeting of the Artificial Intelligence-Proof dialogue series organized by elEconomista.es and KPMG, called Application of AI in the insurance sector.
“We are all aware that this technology has enormous power,” says Ana Puche, Chief Operations & Technology Officer at Zurich Santander Insurance America, who explains that “previously provided data and elements for decision-making, but this technology generates content about those decisions. In the business world, you have contracted obligations with your client and you must be rigorous, therefore, what this artificial intelligence proposes that I apply, I have to control it.”
García sees the opportunity: “In addition to offering new services to the client, from the AI area we review our processes and start a project that changes the way we work. We are experiencing an incredible moment, with many challenges ahead, but we see it as having an assistant who knows everything that needs to be reviewed for information, of course. Once you do it in a corporate environment, you can put safeguards on it.”
According to Spain 2024 Perspectives, a report prepared by KPMG in collaboration with CEOE, 54% of respondents say that they have already incorporated generative artificial intelligence systems into their business, or plan to do so soon. For companies that are expectant or cautious, García points out that “this is not just about technology, it’s about strategy, how you change your company, how you improve your processes to make them as efficient as possible, how you are going to transform your company. Companies that have not started should start as soon as possible.”
In this sense, Puche emphasizes that when you delve into GAI “the possibilities it offers are endless. What motivates the adoption of this technology is that, instead of thinking that the machine can replace the human, the human will be more empowered because they will have a great processing power when doing their job.”
The insurance and financial sector have control systems and safeguards. “We have a commitment to the client, a contract or policy with protection and a regulated environment,” says Puche, adding that “everything we decide based on this intelligence or how we rely on it has direct implications in this contract, so it must be done rigorously and without biases. Interpreting the conditions of a policy, coverage, and guarantees with what the client is declaring to you is where we see the power. Our strategy revolves around the client and we understand that everything we achieve around them will be productive.”
Employees
The experts mention change management as one of the main challenges of generative AI, to which talent also joins. It is people who have to control that technology, so organizations have to make a transition for employee adaptation. “Any technological revolution impacts people because it changes the way of working,” says García, who does not perceive a catastrophic view, as she considers that the use of AI will bring us many benefits. “The only way to do this is for the interaction between humans and machines to be possible. Companies have to make that process help and increase the power of your employee and make him feel comfortable with that new job,” highlights the KPMG expert, a firm that has an AI alliance with Microsoft.
At Zurich Santander, they are beginning to give this tool to the employee. Puche is optimistic, as she believes that “adoption in our company will happen because the employee is the protagonist. You have to promote a tool that helps in their work, which they have to trust and feel comfortable with.”
