The insurance sector is moving beyond AI experimentation and towards more structured adoption, with governance, accountability and decision intelligence becoming central themes at MGAA 2026, according to Earnix directors Andy How and Peter Bammodu.
Writing after the event, Earnix, a decision intelligence platform for insurers and financial services firms, said conversations at MGAA 2026 reflected a market shifting away from AI experimentation and towards responsible deployment. The company highlighted that insurers are increasingly focused on embedding AI into operational workflows while maintaining oversight, transparency and accountability.
Artificial intelligence featured heavily throughout the event, with discussions focusing less on whether insurers should adopt AI and more on how they can integrate it effectively across their organisations. A key panel discussion, chaired by The Insurance Insider's Fiona Robertson, brought together Unitary's Sasha Haco, AXA's Matt Chaplin and Nathan Holt, and Rosie Poole of Health Solutions to explore the practical challenges of AI adoption.
One of the key themes from the discussion was the need to bring employees alongside AI transformation. Nathan Holt highlighted that many insurance professionals remain concerned about AI's impact on their roles, while fewer fully understand how the technology could improve their work.
The panel emphasised the importance of creating workplace environments where employees can test new ideas, build confidence with emerging tools and understand how AI can support their responsibilities. Training, experimentation and openness were identified as important factors in helping insurance organisations adopt AI successfully.
Governance emerged as one of the most consistent themes throughout the event. While AI can improve decision-making, increase consistency and reduce repetitive tasks, insurers remain responsible for ensuring decisions are explainable, accountable and aligned with regulatory expectations.
At the Earnix stand, discussions focused on how insurers and managing general agents (MGAs) can move beyond standalone AI trials and connect the technology directly into workflows supporting pricing, underwriting, claims and customer engagement decisions.
Insurance-specific AI solutions also attracted attention, with insurers increasingly looking for technology designed around the sector's requirements rather than general-purpose tools adapted for insurance. Combining AI agents, predictive models, workflows and governance capabilities could help insurers create more effective decision-making processes while meeting operational and regulatory demands.
Agentic insurance was another area of interest, with delegates exploring how AI agents could manage routine processes while experienced professionals retain oversight of more complex decisions. For many attendees, this represented a practical next step in the evolution of insurance operations.
Earnix concluded that MGAA 2026 reflected a shift in the insurance industry's AI journey, with firms moving from experimentation towards governed, insurance-specific decision intelligence designed to support better business outcomes.