Balancing Innovation And Risk In Insurance AI With Darwin Larrison And Amanda Turcotte Life Accelerated podcast

Balancing Innovation and Risk in Insurance AI with Darwin Larrison and Amanda Turcotte

8d ago 46:06

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In this episode, host Olivier Lafontaine speaks with Amanda Turcotte, SVP and Chief Actuary at Amalgamated Life Insurance Company, and Darwin Larrison, VP and Chief Information Security Officer at Modern Woodmen of America, about how their teams are navigating the changing landscape of artificial intelligence in life insurance.

Amanda shares how her company is applying tools like Amazon Q and Intelligent Document Processing to streamline customer support and data handling. Darwin explains how governance frameworks, vendor partnerships, and licensing decisions are shaping how AI tools like Copilot are being deployed securely and responsibly.

Throughout the session, Amanda and Darwin bring their unique perspectives from actuarial and security leadership to highlight what AI can realistically deliver today, and how insurers can prepare for what’s ahead.

Key Takeaways:

Adopting AI in insurance requires more than tools. It demands structure, governance, and cultural buy-in.
Licensing strategies and vendor partnerships can quietly shape how innovation spreads inside an organization.
AI can help small carriers scale smarter by turning everyday data into operational advantage.

Jump Into the Conversation: (00:00) Meet Amanda Turcotte and Darwin Larrison

(02:18) Why insurance leaders are cautious with AI

(06:44) Using Amazon Q to speed up service

(08:11) Building a centralized CRM with AI features

(11:27) Who gets access to Copilot and why

(14:50) AI’s role in institutional memory and training

(19:00) Building a governance group for responsible AI

(23:29) How to upskill non-tech employees on AI

(29:17) Why transcription still faces internal resistance

(38:15) What startups do differently with AI adoption

(40:31) Predictions on how AI will transform insurance jobs

Resources:

Connect with Amanda Turcotte: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-turcotte-7a436413/
Connect with Darwin Larrison: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darwinlarrison/
Check out Amalgamated Life Insurance Company: https://www.amalgamatedbenefits.com/amalgamated-life/
Check out Modern Woodmen of America: https://www.modernwoodmen.org/
Connect with Olivier: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivierlafontaine/

53 episodes