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How Is AI Changing the Actuarial Profession? Insights from the Spring 2026 AI Survey Artificial intelligence is transforming actuarial practice, but how quickly are actuaries adopting AI, and what challenges remain? In this episode of Get Plugged In, Dale Hall, Managing Director of the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, welcomes Joe Alaimo, ASA, ACIA, author of the SOA Research Institute's Spring 2026 AI Survey report. Drawing on responses from 964 actuaries, Joe shares key findings from the survey's second wave, exploring how AI adoption has evolved since 2025, the growing benefits of AI beyond time savings, and the increasing importance of responsible governance and professional judgment. The conversation also examines the demand for practical AI education, the expanding use of enterprise AI tools, and the opportunities for actuaries to help shape AI implementation and oversight within their organizations. Listen now to discover what the latest survey findings reveal about the future of AI in the actuarial profession.

What does it take to turn emerging ideas into meaningful insights for the actuarial profession? In this episode of Get Plugged In, Lisa Schilling, Director of Practice Research at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, welcomes Dave Ingram, FSA, CERA, MAAA, volunteer editor of the Actuarial Intelligence Bulletin, for a behind-the-scenes look at how this valuable publication comes together. From identifying relevant topics and recruiting volunteer authors to coordinating reviews and preparing each issue for publication, Dave shares the editorial process and collaborative effort behind the bulletin. The discussion also explores how the publication helps actuaries discover fresh perspectives, stay informed about emerging developments, and consider ideas that may influence the future of their profession. Tune in to learn about the people and purpose behind the Actuarial Intelligence Bulletin and why staying curious matters in an evolving actuarial landscape. Explore more research and insights from the Society of Actuaries Research Institute at https://www.soa.org. Visit our Artificial Intelligence landing page Send us your feedback at [email protected]

Artificial intelligence is reshaping insurance—and raising important legal, regulatory and practical questions for insurers, policyholders and the professionals who support them. In this episode of the Society of Actuaries Research Institute's Get Plugged In Podcast, host Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research, welcomes Christine Worthen for a discussion about how AI is changing the relationships among insurers, policyholders, regulators, technology providers and other participants across the insurance ecosystem. The conversation explores AI's growing role in underwriting, pricing, customer service and claims, along with key considerations surrounding policyholder protection, data rights, privacy, transparency, regulatory compliance, governance and third-party vendor risk. The episode also examines questions of liability, litigation and accountability when AI influences insurance decisions. Listeners will also hear what actuaries and insurance leaders should be considering today as AI-related legal and regulatory issues continue to evolve. Listen to the episode and explore additional artificial intelligence research, tools and resources from the Society of Actuaries Research Institute at soa.org/Research Institute. Visit our Artificial Intelligence landing page Send us your feedback at [email protected]

Robotics is rapidly moving from specialized environments into everyday life—from drones supporting insurance claims and driverless vehicles operating on public roads to robotic-assisted surgery, rehabilitation and patient care. As these systems become more capable and autonomous, they also raise important questions about safety, liability, data, cybersecurity and trust. In this episode of the Get Plugged In Podcast, Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, speaks with Dr. Raymond Sheh, an AI Risk Management Researcher in NIST's Information Technology Laboratory, a Guest Researcher in NIST's Engineering Laboratory, and an Associate Research Scientist at Johns Hopkins University. They explore the current state of robotics, how AI is advancing robotic capabilities, the opportunities and risks emerging across insurance and healthcare, and the role that standards, testing and independent evaluation can play in determining whether robotic systems are safe and reliable. Dr. Sheh also shares his practical test for determining when robots are truly becoming intelligent. For actuaries and insurance professionals, understanding how robotics may affect liability, healthcare, data, cybersecurity and risk management will become increasingly important as these technologies evolve. Explore additional tools, research and resources from the Society of Actuaries Research Institute at soa.org/Research Institute and visit the Artificial Intelligence landing page to connect with AI enthusiasts and stay informed about the latest developments. Visit our Artificial Intelligence landing page Send us your feedback at [email protected]

AI Efficiency to AI Trust Artificial intelligence offers organizations tremendous opportunities for speed and scale—but how can they ensure trust, judgment and accountability keep pace? In this episode of the Get Plugged In Podcast, Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, is joined by Steven Abel, Partner at Oliver Wyman, to explore the practical use, governance and oversight of artificial intelligence. The conversation examines why AI-generated outputs can appear credible even when the underlying analysis may be incomplete or incorrect, how organizations can maintain professional skepticism as AI adoption expands, and what controls are needed to understand and reconstruct significant AI-influenced decisions. Steven also shares his perspective on the role actuaries could play in governing and validating consequential AI systems in the years ahead. Tune in to learn how organizations and actuarial professionals can move beyond AI efficiency toward building greater trust, accountability and effective governance. Visit our Artificial Intelligence landing page Send us your feedback at [email protected]

In this episode of Get Plugged In, Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, welcomes Shea Parkes, Actuary and FSA, and one of the authors of the Society of Actuaries Research Institute report, AI-Based Synthetic Medical Claims Data Generation: A Practical Guide for Actuaries. The conversation explores how generative AI can be used to create realistic, privacy-preserving synthetic medical claims data to support research, model development, education, and actuarial analytics. Shea discusses why synthetic data is a promising solution for actuaries and healthcare researchers, how different data-generation approaches can support structure-focused and analytics-focused use cases, and what privacy considerations actuaries should keep in mind when working with AI-generated data. Listen in to learn more about the opportunities, trade-offs, and practical applications of synthetic medical claims data for the actuarial profession. Check out the report:  https://www.soa.org/resources/research-reports/2026/synthetic-medical-claims-data/ Visit our Artificial Intelligence landing page Send us your feedback at [email protected]

In this episode of the Get Plugged In podcast, Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, explores the intersection of behavioral science and artificial intelligence in insurance. Dale is joined by Peter Hovard, VP, Chief Behavioural Scientist at Reinsurance Group of America and PhD in Experimental Psychology, and Rosmery Cruz, Executive Director of Behavioural Data Science for a discussion on how behavioral insights and AI are reshaping insurance decisions, product design, communication, and sensitive consumer interactions. Listeners will hear practical perspectives on how behavioral science has already improved insurance experiences, how AI may change consumer expectations, and what exciting developments may be ahead for actuaries and insurance professionals. Listen in to learn how behavioral science and AI can help rethink the future of insurance. Visit our Artificial Intelligence landing page Send us your feedback at [email protected]

In this episode of Get Plugged In, Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, speaks with Professor Runhuan Feng, PhD, FSA, CERA, about actuarial education, global risk management, and the fast-evolving role of technology in the profession. Professor Feng shares insights from his academic journey across China, Canada, and the United States, and discusses how Tsinghua University is preparing students to work at the intersection of actuarial science, AI, machine learning, financial technology, public policy, and emerging industries. The conversation explores how China's approach to innovation, government involvement, health insurance, autonomous vehicles, and digital finance is shaping new opportunities for actuaries worldwide. Listeners will gain a global perspective on actuarial education and the profession's expanding role in solving real-world problems across markets and cultures. Send us your feedback at [email protected]

In this episode of the Get Plugged In Podcast, Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, speaks with Carlos Arocha, FSA, Managing Partner at Arocha & Associates GmbH in Zurich, Switzerland, about the growing role of artificial intelligence in understanding and managing climate risk. Together, they explore why climate risk can be difficult to measure using traditional actuarial methods and how AI can help actuaries assess individual assets, improve hazard modeling, strengthen scenario testing, and better understand transition risk. This conversation offers timely insights for actuaries looking to enhance their climate risk analysis with more advanced tools and approaches. Tune in to hear practical perspectives on how AI can support the profession as climate-related risks continue to evolve. Visit our Artificial Intelligence landing page Send us your feedback at [email protected]

In this episode of the Get Plugged In Podcast, Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, speaks with Whitney Barnes, Director of Sales, Insurance at DigitalOwl, about how artificial intelligence is being applied in the life underwriting space. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in risk assessment, Whitney shares insights on the evolution of underwriting, the challenges of working with messy real-world medical data, and the operational changes that occur when underwriting teams begin to trust AI-organized information. Their conversation explores where AI can create measurable value, including improvements in turnaround time, workflow efficiency, and consistency in underwriting decisions. They also discuss the importance of transparency, auditability, and thoughtful change management when insurers move from AI pilots to scalable enterprise solutions. This episode offers a practical look at how insurers are using AI to support underwriters and rethink traditional underwriting workflows. Visit our Artificial Intelligence landing page Send us your feedback at [email protected]

In this episode of the Society of Actuaries Research Institute's Get Plugged In podcast series, AI Insights, host Dale Hall sits down with Igor Nikitin, CEO and Co-Founder of Nice Technologies, for a practical conversation on what AI can (and can't) do for actuarial modeling today. Igor shares real-world examples of AI in action and discusses how AI can support model development through explanation, testing, documentation, and review—while also highlighting where the hype outpaces reality. The discussion covers how to evaluate AI value, spot red flags (like limited domain training data and "black box" outputs), and build the governance and accountability needed to maintain trust when AI is involved in actuarial work. Listeners will also hear Igor's advice for actuarial organizations starting their AI journey: start small, establish privacy and usage guidelines, require citations and second reviews, and always model costs at production scale before committing to major investments.

In this episode of Get Plugged In – AI Insights, Dale Hall (Managing Director, Society of Actuaries Research Institute) sits down with Ronald Poon Affat, Independent Board Director & Cross-Continental Actuary, joining live from São Paulo, Brazil, to explore how NIST is shaping the standards that will define trustworthy AI—and why that matters for actuaries. They discuss what the NIST AI Consortium is, why the SOA is actively contributing through its AI Safety Working Group, and what it's like collaborating with leading voices across technology, academia, and public policy. The conversation also dives into the next major focus area: TEVV (Testing, Evaluation, Verification, and Validation)—a practical "quality assurance" approach to ensure AI models are fair, explainable, reliable, and ready for regulatory scrutiny. Listen in for a clear, actuarial lens on where AI governance is headed in insurance—and how actuaries can lead by asking the right risk questions.

In this episode of the Get Plugged In Podcast, Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, is joined by Joe Alaimo, CEO at ProComp Consulting Inc. in Ontario, Canada. Together, they unpack the results of the Society of Actuaries Research Institute's inaugural AI Adoption Survey. Their conversation explores how actuaries are using AI tools, the most common use cases across career stages, and the key organizational barriers such as skill gaps and compliance risks. They also discuss surprising survey results on interest in further AI education and how attitudes differ between early- and late-career actuaries. This foundational research will be repeated regularly to track how the profession's use of AI evolves over time. 📢 Read the full report here: https://www.soa.org/resources/research-reports/2025/ai-member-survey-summer-2025/ Visit our Artificial Intelligence landing page Send us your feedback at [email protected]

Bridging the Gap Between Traditional Models and Machine Learning in Actuarial Science In this episode of Get Plugged In – AI Insights, host Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research at the Society of Actuaries, welcomes Ronald Richman, Founder and CEO of insureAI, to discuss the evolving role of machine learning in actuarial work. Actuaries have long relied on established statistical models grounded in theory and industry experience. But as machine learning continues to revolutionize data analysis, it brings new opportunities—and new challenges—for the profession. Dale and Ronald explore the differences between traditional actuarial methods and modern machine learning techniques, the practical applications of AI in insurance today, and how actuaries can prepare themselves for a data-driven future. Listeners can dive deeper into this topic by visiting the Society of Actuaries Research Institute's Artificial Intelligence topic landing page:  https://www.soa.org/research/topics/artificial-intelligence-topic-landing Send us your feedback at [email protected]

In this episode of Get Plugged In – AI Insights, Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, is joined by Frances M. Green, Corporate Defense Attorney and AI Governance Professional at Epstein Becker Green. Together, they unpack the implications of the White House's July 2025 AI Action Plan, Winning the Race – America's AI Action Plan, and what it means for actuaries, insurers, and the broader financial sector. From regulatory rollback to state-level resistance, this conversation explores the critical intersections of AI innovation, data governance, and risk management.  Frances shares expert insights on the shift in federal policy, potential legal challenges, and how actuaries should prepare for emerging state regulations, such as those in Colorado and California. 🎧 Tune in now to learn how this bold federal initiative could reshape everything from underwriting to pension planning. 📍Explore more AI resources at the SOA's AI landing page: https://www.soa.org/research/topics/artificial-intelligence-topic-landing/ Send us your feedback at [email protected]