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Insurance companies adopting artificial intelligence face risks beyond accuracy, bias, and cybersecurity - employee disengagement from the transformation. Sarah Armstrong-Smith, executive director at Secure Horizons and former chief security advisor at Microsoft, issued the warning while opening the Dive In Festival 2026 on Tuesday.
Armstrong-Smith said the speed of AI adoption is forcing companies to deal with the human impact of technological change much faster than during previous industrial revolutions.
“The real difference is speed. The speed of change is at a rate we have never experienced before,” she said.
Insurance brokers and agents are under increasing pressure to use AI for quoting, customer service, marketing and administrative tasks, while maintaining the advice and relationships central to the intermediary channel.
A September survey commissioned by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America found 61% of consumers were more likely to choose an agent using AI and other modern technology for faster, more personalized service. However, 87% said having a human agent remained important when making insurance decisions.
Adoption among agencies remains uneven. First Connect’s 2026 survey of 238 independent agents found only 35% were using AI in day-to-day operations, although 53% were optimistic about its impact. Meanwhile, 77% reported increased client expectations around quote and binding speed.
Armstrong-Smith said companies must balance moving quickly enough to stay competitive with adopting technology faster than employees can adapt.
She warned that employees concerned about automation replacing their jobs could become less willing to contribute their knowledge, test systems, or help redesign workflows.
“The most dangerous thing that happens to our organization is not AI. It’s apathy, because people stop caring,” Armstrong-Smith said.
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Armstrong-Smith also stressed that AI does not remove human accountability. People decide how the technology is used, the authority given to it, and how its decisions affect others.
“The human is always in that value chain,” she said.
Gabby Joyner, head of WTW's employee experience business for Europe, similarly said human judgment, connection and collaboration would remain critical as technology takes on a greater role in insurance.
Dive In 2026 is the 12th and final edition of the global insurance festival focused on diversity, inclusion, culture and talent. Since its launch, the event has brought together nearly 200,000 people worldwide.
