AI’s rapid advancement has sparked both excitement and uncertainty across industries, but few sectors grapple with the dual challenge of ingrained tradition and urgent modernization quite like commercial insurance. On a recent episode of the Unstructured Unlocked podcast, Thierry Daucourt, former head of P&C commercial lines at AXA, unraveled the realities of digital transformation and human-centric AI adoption in commercial insurance. Hosted by Michelle Gouveia, VP at Sandbox Insurtech Ventures, and Tom Wilde, CEO of Indico Data, the conversation offered a candid, insider perspective on why AI success in insurance hinges on mindset, leadership, and culture as much as on technology.
Listen to the full podcast episode here: Unstructured Unlocked Podcast
Guiding commercial lines through digital transformation
Describing commercial insurance as “a little bit Jurassic Park of the insurance business,” Daucourt immediately set the scene for why transformation is especially challenging in this sector. “We try to avoid being disrupted as much as we can,” he shared, reflecting decades of experience spanning agency, claims, underwriting, and global industry leadership.
Unlike personal insurance, which has absorbed digital tools quickly, large-scale commercial lines juggle worldwide exposures, complex negotiations, and entrenched processes. The pandemic, Daucourt noted, was a powerful wakeup call that exposed operational fragility. “It was tough because you had to ask people to go into the archives to get the paper files” when urgent insights were needed.
The arrival of AI generated new momentum. Yet, Daucourt cautioned, the rush to “do AI” is often driven by a top-down push, not always fully grasped by those initiating it or those expected to carry it out.
The human side of digital acceleration
Perhaps the most pressing barrier to transformation isn’t the technology itself, but the pace at which organizations ask people to adapt. “Today a lot of things can be solved by IT, but now it requires management to be able to bring people along for that transformation. And it’s more than a transformation–it’s a disruption,” stressed Daucourt.
For commercial line professionals, whose work is built on expertise, negotiation, and years of hands-on engagement, digital change and workflow reengineering can feel overwhelming or even threatening. “For an underwriter who meets the client, negotiates contracts, and so on, to say, ‘we’re going to change your process’ is not easy, especially if you don’t give people time to digest what’s happening.”
He argued for leadership that’s deeply invested in both understanding and communicating the “why” behind transformation. “You as a leader need to understand the topic and not just say, ‘we’re going to do an AI project–goodbye, I’ll see you tomorrow.’ That’s not enough.”
Creating space for change with internal startups
One compelling takeaway from Daucourt is the strategic value of fostering “greenfield” teams or internal startups to drive real innovation. “It’s hard to ask a team of business people to disrupt themselves… It’s a good way to create a separate team whose job is to attack the business of that team over there.”
This strategy recognizes that sustained, truly disruptive progress often depends on separating incremental improvement from radical reimagination. “That’s why you see so many startups in insurance now. They can deliver solutions with much faster turnaround and are there to disrupt what the industry is doing.”
Reframing AI as augmentation, not elimination
Much of the workforce hesitation about AI links directly to concerns over job security and role relevance. Daucourt points out this perception gap needs urgent attention. “When you roll out a new technological solution, people immediately think, ‘They want to eliminate my job.’ But actually, there’s a huge opportunity to manage the workload, increase work quality, and focus on what only humans do best.”
He highlighted Europe’s demographic challenges as a case in point. “It’s hard to recruit underwriters. A generation of senior underwriters will soon retire. Now you can equip talented underwriters with technology so they can manage a larger book, improve negotiations, and make better decisions.”
AI becomes a supportive digital assistant–not a replacement. “You are that human in the loop who will make the calls and decide where the digital assistant brings you.”
Balancing skepticism and buy-in
Throughout the episode, a recurring theme emerges–people don’t fit a single mold when it comes to technology adoption. “It’s individual. Some will always be fans, some are critics, and many sit on the sideline and wait to learn more before they decide,” Daucourt observed.
Successful transformation depends on identifying “believers or fans” as well as including “constructive, critical people” in projects. “If you can get critical voices on your side, they help promote it internally and bring others along.”
Not every new tool or AI promise lives up to its initial pitch. Daucourt compared the overpromising and under-delivering of early self-driving cars to some AI tools in insurance. “Whenever we deliver something, it has to solve the problem it was built for, or negativity builds fast. You lose trust.”
Employee experience as a source of competitive advantage
Wilde posed a provocative question around making employee experience the core of business strategy. Daucourt was unequivocal regarding its fit for commercial lines, given their complexity and ongoing need for expert human judgment. “A good strategy is to take a customer-centric approach, but here the customer is often your own people–your underwriter, claims manager, finance person. Address their needs because they’ll be around for a while.”
Technology’s highest value in commercial lines may not be in replacing people, but in dramatically improving how they work each day.
The impact of company culture and structure
Drawing on his international perspective, Daucourt emphasized the role of culture–national, organizational, and linguistic. “Culture and company structure play a crucial role in technology deployment and appetite. You’ll find it’s always easier to negotiate a contract or introduce change in your own language, with your cultural context.”
He noted the significance of organizational models, contrasting decentralized decision-making at country or business unit level with increasing group-level oversight designed to ensure consistency and maximize ROI.
Related Content: Harnessing Generative AI for innovation in insurance with David Moorhead
Three essentials for leading digital transformation in insurance
Asked to distill his wisdom, Daucourt offered three guiding recommendations:
- Lead with real understanding: “You need to know the topic yourself. Understand the ethical, regulatory, and business aspects. Don’t just announce projects from on high.”
- Prioritize balance and timing: “Don’t be extreme with solutions. Machines run fast, but people need time to process and adapt. You have to allow for communication, discussion, and buy-in. That investment in time pays off during implementation.”
- Build a foundation for acceptance: “Allowing people to talk and exchange views creates the basis for acceptance. Once the switch is ready, your team will join you enthusiastically if they’ve been part of the process.”
Charting a human-centered future for insurance AI
The conversation with Thierry Daucourt underlines a critical lesson for commercial insurance leaders and technologists alike. True transformation goes beyond technology–it’s about empowering people, inviting skepticism and advocacy, and adjusting leadership styles for an era of rapid change.
AI offers the potential for smarter, faster, and more personalized insurance–but only when it’s deployed in partnership with the workforce, not in spite of them. The real competitive advantage lies in “addressing your team’s needs, allowing time for adaptation, and making sure technology truly solves the problems it promises.”
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