Policyholders trust AI less than insurance execs think: Hi Marley

• Key insight: The comfort and acceptance of AI by policyholders depends on where AI is being used, how transparent an insurer is about it and whether a person is available to them.
• Expert quote: "As carriers deploy AI-enabled communication, building and maintaining trust with customers depends on reassurance that policyholders will be able to access a human to help with important decisions." –Stephanie Behnke, principal industry and market insights at Hi Marley.
  

Some policyholders are willing to use AI, under two conditions: they must know it's AI, and there must be a person available if needed. 

About half of policyholders are mostly or completely confident their insurance carrier will use AI responsibly, but two-thirds are concerned they will not be able to reach someone when they need to, suggests new research from Hi Marley.

Eighty-five percent of insurance executives said they believe AI will strengthen customer trust but only 40% of policyholders agree, according to The State of AI in P&C Insurance Communication 2026 from Hi Marley. 

"As carriers deploy AI-enabled communication, building and maintaining trust with customers depends on reassurance that policyholders will be able to access a human to help with important decisions, confirm the accuracy of information and provide support in critical and emotional situations," said Stephanie Behnke, principal industry and market insights at Hi Marley and report co-author, in a press release. 

The study highlights that comfort and acceptance of AI by policyholders depends on where the AI is being used, how transparent the insurer is about it and whether a person is available to them. 

Ninety-percent of policyholders said knowing when they're interacting with AI is very or extremely important to them. 

Policy and billing-service interactions are areas where policyholders said they are most receptive to AI being a part of the process, but insurers say their lowest priority for AI investment is the contact center. Insurers identified processing new applicants and requesting quotes as the top areas for investments in the next 12 months.

The study, which includes two surveys, was fielded by Hi Marley's external research partners, Berkeley Communications and Arlington Research in June. One survey includes responses by 550 senior P&C insurance decision-makers across the U.S. and Canada. The policyholder survey includes 2,000 adults aged 18 and older who are homeowners, renters or auto insurance policyholders.