FROM THE PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT ' S LETTER
SOME PRACTICAL STEPS TO TAKE WHILE APPROACHING AI USE AT YOUR AGENCY written by David Vogel, KAIA President, ProValue Insurance
As I write this, harvest is in full swing, football season is underway, and many of us are heading into the busy fall stretch of renewals and year-end planning. It ' s also a good time to talk about something changing how we work faster than almost anything I ' ve seen in this business: artificial intelligence.
Whether or not your agency has made a decision about AI, it ' s already showing up. Your carriers are using it. Your software vendors are adding it. And someone on your team is likely using a free AI tool to draft a client message or summarize a policy. Used well, AI can save time on routine work and free your people to focus on what clients value most: advice and relationships.
But it comes with risk, and as independent agents, we know a thing or two about managing risk. First is data: client information typed into a public AI tool may not stay private, and we have a duty to protect it. Second is accuracy: AI can sound confident and still be wrong, and a wrong answer about coverage is an E & O claim waiting to happen. Third, bad actors have these tools too, so scams and impersonations are harder to spot and verifying matters more than ever.
“... it comes with risk, and as independent agents, we
know a thing or two about managing risk.”
• Start small. Try low-risk tasks like marketing content or summarizing internal notes.
• Train your team on what AI can do and where the guardrails are.
• Review your coverage so your cyber and E & O limits reflect how you operate today.
A few practical steps:
• Write a simple AI use policy. Spell out approved tools, acceptable uses, and what ' s off limits. Even one page helps.
• Keep client information out of public tools. Ask your vendors how their AI features handle and store your data.
• Always have a human review the output. Treat AI as a first draft, especially for anything involving coverage or advice.
34 KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER