The Insurance Scoop

AI in Underwriting: Threat or Tool for P&L Agents?

Written by Taylor Dobbie | Feb 10, 2026 4:59:35 PM

AI is already underwriting your business.

It’s just not introducing itself.

From property scoring to predictive modeling, carriers are using data tools to evaluate risk before you even hit submit.

The question isn’t whether AI matters.
It’s whether you understand how it’s shaping your submissions.

What’s Actually Happening

Underwriting systems now pull:

  • Real-time property valuations
  • Aerial imagery
  • Prior loss patterns
  • Industry data
  • Credit overlays
  • Catastrophe modeling

Carriers like Travelers and Chubb are investing heavily in predictive analytics.

By the time an underwriter opens your submission, it’s already been scored.

That changes the game.

Where Agents Lose

If your value is speed or shopping markets, AI competes directly with you.

Technology wins at:

  • Appetite matching
  • Data validation
  • Quote turnaround
  • Automated follow-ups

Direct platforms are built for efficiency.

If you operate like a quoting engine, you’re competing with software.

That’s a tough fight.

Where Agents Win

AI doesn’t tell a story.

It flags risk. It doesn’t explain context.

Experienced agents still win when they:

  • Frame a risk clearly
  • Explain operational nuance
  • Pre-underwrite exposures
  • Anticipate underwriting concerns
  • Build relationships with decision-makers

A predictive model might decline an account.
A strong narrative might get it reconsidered.

Judgment still matters.

The Smart Agency Play

The agencies that will outperform over the next five years aren’t resisting AI.

They’re using it.

  • Running property checks before submission
  • Cleaning up data before underwriting sees it
  • Automating documentation
  • Segmenting clients more intelligently
  • Identifying cross-sell opportunities early

Technology doesn’t replace advisory value.

It raises the floor.

If you understand how carriers are using data, you can position accounts more effectively.

If you ignore it, underwriting friction increases.

The Real Risk

AI isn’t eliminating P&L agents.

But it is compressing the purely transactional ones.

Advisory depth, documentation quality, and risk insight are becoming differentiators again.

That’s not a threat.

That’s an opportunity.

The agents who evolve will thrive.

The ones who don’t will wonder why underwriting feels harder every year.