At the Insurtech Insights Europe conference, we spoke with Rory Yates, Strategic and Growth Advisor, and Senior Board Advisory at Quantum Axis. Rory discussed how AI is reshaping the future of insurance operations and customer value, and shared his view that the industry has reached a turning point where insurers can now define the experience and transformation they want to achieve first, then use emerging technologies to make it possible. Rather than adapting strategy around technical limitations, insurers are increasingly able to focus entirely on customer outcomes and long-term value creation.

The conversation also explored how the insurance ecosystem is evolving operationally. Rory highlighted the shift away from fragmented legacy processes toward more unified operational data models that allow insurers to work more effectively across claims, servicing, underwriting, and partner networks. He argued that the real promise of AI lies beyond chatbots and surface-level automation, with the biggest opportunity sitting inside the “messy middle” of insurance operations – the complex workflows and decision-making processes that have traditionally been difficult to modernise.

Looking ahead, Rory discussed the growing pressures facing insurers as climate-related events and global risk exposures become more severe. He noted that insurers are increasingly focused on resilience, collaboration with governments, and new approaches to risk mitigation rather than relying solely on pricing or reinsurance strategies. Throughout the discussion, he emphasised that strong data foundations, unified architectures, and practical AI adoption will be critical for insurers looking to evolve successfully while continuing to deliver meaningful value to customers.