AI in sharp focus
The mood at Insurtech Insights Europe 2026 this year was different.
The speculative energy of previous years, with lots of capital chasing the next big insurtech idea was largely absent.
AI dominated every stand, every panel, every LinkedIn post generated from the conference. The signal is that incorporating AI into your business is no longer a differentiator but table stakes.
However, the tone of the conversation around AI has changed.
As Sizwe Mase from the Root team observed:
"It's not 'AI will change everything' anymore. It's 'we've invested in this - now how do we actually get value out of it?'"
Without strong foundational infrastructure, AI implementation will not succeed
Practical use cases like leveraging AI for pricing accuracy, underwriting speed and claims automation have replaced the aspiration. That shift is exposing a deeper problem though: "The industry feels like it's acknowledging something," Sizwe noted. "We tried to layer innovation on top of weak foundations. Now we need to fix the foundations first."
Charlotte Koep, our CEO, framed the infrastructure consequence clearly:
"When cloud became the thing, a lot of on-prem systems rebranded, but never delivered the flexibility of platforms built in and for the cloud. We're at the same moment again. Products with APIs bolted on are not the same as API-first infrastructure. In an AI-dominated world, that gap becomes very real, very quickly."
Oliver Evans, our Head of Growth, UK put the broader shift in context:
"As the panel discussion that Charlotte partook in described it: We're in Insurtech 3.0. Being conservative on AI isn't really an option anymore. Everyone is building. But AI is only valuable if it strengthens a company's core proposition and benefits the customer. It matters what differentiates you and what you stand for. If AI helps you elevate what you’re great at and ultimately benefit the end customer then we’re onto something. I’m optimistic. “
Buyers at ITI 2026 felt this too.
Many of the conversations we had were framed around finding answers to defined problems in data, reporting, underwriting and ops, rather than open-ended exploration about tech as a whole.
What's next for insurance?
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Whereas the previous chapter in insurance technology was about growth and distribution, the next one is about efficiency and margin.
Embedded insurance is still a live opportunity, but the questions have matured: are the economics working, who captures the value, how complex is the operational reality?
The vendor market is crowded and messaging is converging. The businesses that cut through the noise will be the ones who know what they are excellent at and can demonstrate - not just claim - that their infrastructure compounds it.
The AI reckoning will accelerate the distance between those with strong foundations and those without.
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The conversations at ITI Europe 2026 reinforced something we hear regularly: the gap between ambition and infrastructure is where most businesses get stuck.
If you're building something in insurance and want to find out about how our API-first platform can help you realise your ambitions, reach out to schedule a demo.
