EXL’s AI Leadership Signals a New Era for the Insurance Industry

NEW YORK, NY – January 12, 2026 – As the global insurance sector grapples with economic headwinds and evolving customer demands, data and AI firm EXL has been named a Leader in five key quadrants of the prestigious ISG Provider Lens™ Insurance Services 2025 report. The recognition, which spans traditional service areas and newly introduced categories for Generative and Agentic AI, underscores a pivotal industry shift from experimental technology adoption to full-scale operational intelligence.

EXL’s top placement in Life & Retirement, Property & Casualty, GenAI, Agentic AI, and Global Capability Centers highlights its comprehensive strategy of embedding advanced AI across the entire insurance value chain. This distinction validates the company's ability to not only master core insurance processes but also pioneer the next generation of AI-driven solutions that are rapidly becoming essential for survival and growth.

The AI Revolution in Insurance Operations

The ISG report's inclusion of GenAI and Agentic AI as distinct leadership categories signals that these technologies have moved from the periphery to the core of insurance transformation. EXL's leadership in these areas is built on a foundation of specialized, industry-specific solutions that outperform generic models. Central to this is the EXL Insurance Large Language Model (LLM), an advanced AI developed in collaboration with NVIDIA. This model has demonstrated a 30% improvement in accuracy on complex insurance tasks compared to leading general-purpose LLMs, while also proving more cost-effective.

This specialized intelligence is being deployed through practical applications that are already reshaping day-to-day operations. EXL’s Underwriting Assist tool, for instance, automates the summarization and validation of new business submissions, enabling underwriters to make faster, more accurate risk assessments. Similarly, its Claims Assist solution empowers adjusters by automatically extracting and summarizing critical information, flagging claims with a high probability of leakage or customer complaints. These tools are powered by EXL's proprietary platforms, including EXL XTRAKTO.AI™, which accelerates intelligent document processing, and the modular EXLerate.AI™ platform, which automates workflows in claims, underwriting, and auditing.

“As the insurance industry continues to contend with strong market headwinds, our clients have become more agile and resilient by embracing robust digital transformation initiatives powered by real-time, reliable data and AI-embedded workflows,” said Vivek Jetley, president and head of insurance, healthcare and life sciences at EXL. This sentiment reflects a broader industry trend where insurers are no longer just experimenting with AI but are actively seeking enterprise-grade solutions to drive measurable outcomes.

Building Resilience in a Volatile Market

The current market, characterized by rising claim costs, climate-related risks, and economic uncertainty, demands a new level of agility from insurers. EXL's recognition by ISG points to the growing importance of data and AI as a strategic shield against this volatility. By embedding intelligence directly into core processes, the company helps insurers move from a reactive to a proactive stance.

A critical component of this strategy is the ability to harness an organization's most valuable asset: its data. Many insurers are hindered by fragmented data stored in legacy systems, making it difficult to deploy AI effectively. EXL addresses this foundational challenge with its EXLdata.ai platform, which is designed to unify policy, claims, and customer data, making it clean, accessible, and “AI-ready.” This focus on data governance is crucial for building the robust, reliable AI models needed for dynamic decision-making.

The impact is felt across the business. With cleaner data and powerful analytics, insurers can achieve more accurate risk assessment, enhance fraud detection, and develop more sophisticated pricing models. This data-driven approach allows carriers to better anticipate market shifts, manage their risk portfolios more effectively, and ultimately build a more resilient business that can thrive in unpredictable conditions.

Elevating the Human Experience for Agents and Customers

Beyond back-office efficiency, EXL's AI leadership is delivering tangible benefits to the front lines of the insurance business, enhancing the experience for both agents and policyholders. The focus is shifting from pure automation to human augmentation, where AI tools empower employees to perform their jobs more effectively and deliver superior service.

For example, EXL's Agentic AI solutions are transforming the work of claims adjusters. Instead of spending hours manually searching through complex policy documents, adjusters can use a conversational interface to get instant, context-aware answers to critical questions. This not only dramatically reduces search time but also minimizes errors and improves consistency. Similar tools are streamlining case setup and member enrollment, automating data entry and validation to reduce manual effort and accelerate onboarding.

These operational improvements translate directly into a better customer journey. Faster claims processing, more accurate underwriting, and more personalized interactions all contribute to higher policyholder satisfaction. Client impact stories underscore these benefits, with one leading insurer, Guardian Life, reporting a 28% reduction in new business cycle time and a significant improvement in plan holder satisfaction after partnering with EXL. By freeing up human agents to focus on high-value, empathetic interactions, AI is helping insurers deepen customer relationships and build lasting loyalty.

A Strategic Bet on Specialized Intelligence

EXL's strong performance in the ISG Provider Lens™ report is not an overnight success but the result of a deliberate, long-term strategy focused on deep industry knowledge and specialized AI. The company's significant investments in its EXL AI Labs, the launch of its Dublin AI Hub, and strategic partnerships with technology leaders like NVIDIA and middleware platform InsureMO demonstrate a clear commitment to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in insurance.

This strategy directly confronts the primary challenges holding back AI adoption in the industry, including data quality issues, integration with legacy systems, and a shortage of specialized talent. By offering end-to-end solutions that combine data preparation, advanced AI models, and deep domain expertise, EXL provides a clear path for insurers to scale their digital transformation initiatives beyond isolated pilot projects.

Ashish Jhajharia, lead analyst and co-author of the ISG report, noted this forward-looking capability, stating, “EXL continues to help carriers across the entire insurance industry raise the bar. As 2026 will undoubtedly bring new emerging technology and unique challenges, EXL stands ready to help its clients dodge volatility and ultimately thrive.” This positions the company not just as a service provider, but as a strategic partner equipped to guide the insurance industry through its next wave of technological evolution.