Jul 15, 2026
What separates the carriers that are genuinely moving
on AI from those still waiting for permission to start?
In this episode, Equisoft’s host, Olivier
Lafontaine, speaks with Brian Poppe, Senior Vice
President of Life Insurance Solutions at Mutual of
Omaha, to explore how one of the industry’s most established
insurance companies is approaching AI-driven transformation. Brian
emphasizes that the most meaningful gains come from rethinking and
redesigning end-to-end workflows to eliminate inefficiencies at
their source.
He also unpacks the structural differences between life insurance and property and casualty markets. Noting that life insurers must proceed more cautiously due to long-term pricing commitments and heightened regulatory exposure.
Across underwriting and customer service, Brian
highlights one thing: AI will become increasingly embedded as a
decision-support and automation layer, reshaping how insurers
balance speed, risk accuracy, and human judgment, particularly in
moments where empathy and trust remain critical.
Key Takeaways:
-
AI delivers the most value when insurers redesign end-to-end workflows instead of automating broken processes.
-
Underwriting advantage comes from faster, better-integrated use of existing data rather than entirely new data sources.
-
AI adoption must balance automation with regulation and preserve human judgment in sensitive, high-empathy moments.
Jump Into the Conversation:
(00:00)
Meet Brian Poppe
(03:30)
Leading life insurance solutions at Mutual of
Omaha
(04:37)
Life insurance, health, annuities, and business unit
overview
(06:26)
Brand power and the legacy of Mutual of Omaha's Wild
Kingdom
(08:14)
Direct-to-consumer insurance and the pressure of public
trust
(10:06)
Scaling simplified issue life insurance
profitably
(14:13)
Data, process, and technology in modern
underwriting
(16:48)
Will AI make underwriting decisions or just support
them?
(19:54)
Human vs automated underwriting in practice
(21:51)
AI-powered call summarization in customer
service
(23:00)
Virtual agents and automating routine customer
inquiries
(24:07)
Why human empathy matters in claims
experiences
(26:02)
Organizational adoption of AI and employee mindset
shifts
(26:56)
Horizontal vs vertical AI implementation
strategies
(28:59)
AI costs, token economics, and experimentation
tradeoffs
(32:25)
Measuring AI value beyond tokens and lines of
code
(34:10)
ROI in call centers and operational efficiency
gains
(36:27)
Advice on AI adoption and process-first
transformation
(38:23)
Closing thoughts and the future of AI in insurance
Resources:
- Connect with Brian Poppe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bpoppe/
- Learn more about Mutual of Omaha: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mutual-of-omaha/
- Connect with Olivier Lafontaine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivierlafontaine/