AI and the future of insurance: why solving the data integration challenge matters

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already woven into our daily lives. Whether it is predicting the fastest route home through traffic, suggesting what to watch on Netflix, what to listen to on Spotify, or protecting your bank account from suspicious transactions, AI is quietly changing how we live and work. Some AI systems announce themselves with a friendly voice or a personalised notification; others work invisibly behind the scenes, powering everything from spam filters to weather forecasts. As AI keeps evolving it sparks both excitement and debate about how it will reshape our future, and nowhere is that conversation more important than in insurance, where data holds the key to protecting people's homes, health and livelihoods.

Since joining the board of cloud-based insurance platform JAVLN last year and stepping into the CEO role in October, AI is the topic that comes up most.

New AI features will continue to be integral to JAVLN's roadmap, but two speedbumps stop brokers from fully realising their potential: data and integration.

It is not as exciting as the shiny new world of AI, but until this is tackled, brokers will be stuck on legacy systems and risk missing the new AI productivity paradigm.

Solving data and integration challenges to unlock AI's potential

I am passionate about building world-class technology businesses across industries but am fairly new to insurance. So these past few months I have been meeting with my team and industry professionals to learn as much as I can.

Many brokers still work on desktop systems, spending hours each day entering data into disconnected systems that do not work well together. Meanwhile cloud technology is advancing rapidly, getting smarter and far more helpful.

What I have learned from these conversations is that brokers know they need to move away from desktop systems and adopt cloud technology and automation to future-proof their business. They also know legacy systems are unlikely to develop AI-powered features. In reality, though, it is a tough job, especially for brokers who are already stretched for time.

JAVLN can help solve the integration challenge

Humans talk to other humans in natural language; software systems talk to each other in data. User interfaces are designed for people, while cloud APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are built for software. There is a big difference between how people interact with technology (user-friendly interfaces on laptops and phones) and how back-end systems communicate (structured data exchange).

Many software products offer point-to-point integrations that work well, yet the insurance industry still has gaps in its end-to-end workflows. As an industry we need to keep working towards common standards for securely connecting systems to support future agentic AI workflows, and more systems need to support public APIs to get there.

Integrating third-party tools can be hard, and brokers often find the systems they use feel disconnected. The manual stopgap is Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V. Even brokerages that have moved on from legacy desktop software may still lack a fully integrated set-up.

One of my goals at JAVLN is to change this. We have an ambitious vision to be the world's number one platform for insurance intermediaries. That means continuing to connect our platform into the insurance ecosystem and working to improve the insurance experience for everyone involved.

What can we learn from healthcare?

Healthcare and insurance share a need for data integration. Both are complex, data-heavy environments, both exchange sensitive information and both aim to improve efficiency and customer experience through technology.

Unlike healthcare, insurtech still lacks the well-defined integration standards that have been adopted globally and helped the healthcare sector innovate at scale.

At JAVLN we are taking a collaborative approach to standardising secure APIs and cloud integrations. It can be hard to know where to start, but I believe the insurance industry has a chance to work together on API standardisation, and we are here to help make it happen.

People are the real drivers of change

Technology shapes the future, but people drive change. As AI becomes more prevalent, it is a timely reminder to be more human and less robotic. Figuratively speaking, we should stand on the shoulders of robots.

This philosophy sits at the heart of JAVLN's approach, where the design and usability of our user experience are key to helping brokers be more effective, adopt new tools and enjoy using them. That is why we are committed to bringing in the right talent and fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation.

Our goal is to keep building the JAVLN team while supporting brokers on their journey: helping them use technology well, adapt to new risks and meet the evolving needs of their customers.