Community Broker Network (CBN) is extending the use of artificial intelligence across its authorised broker network through a partnership with insurtech firm COVA, integrating AI into broking tasks including policy analysis, renewal preparation, client communication, and market research.
CBN is framing the COVA deployment as part of a wider program focused on broker capability, digital skills, and operating model change. The network says its plans draw on feedback from its broker community, structured corporate listening, and external research such as the National Insurance Brokers Association’s (NIBA) Future of Broking work, which has identified digital enablement and skills development as key issues for intermediaries. Within a network of more than 1,400 brokers, CBN reports that over 400 are using COVA in their workflows. According to the network, the platform is being used for tasks such as policy comparisons, pre-renewal reports, market scans, and client summaries. Internal data indicates that activities which previously took 30 to 45 minutes or longer can now be completed in significantly less time.
CBN says brokers using the platform are reporting average time savings of more than five hours per week. Policy reviews that once required 30 to 45 minutes can now be generated in under a minute, while standardised pre-renewal packs and client communications are being produced more quickly. The network positions this as changing how brokers allocate time between administration, advice, and client-facing work.
CBN’s executive general manager, strategy and innovation, Nese Akay, said the initiative is intended to support broker roles rather than automate them away. “This is not about replacing brokers. It is about empowering them. AI is removing the administrative burden so brokers can spend more time where it matters most, solving insurance problems and delivering high-quality solutions for clients. We are seeing a step-change in both efficiency and quality. Brokers are moving faster, delivering sharper insights, and creating a better experience for their clients,” Akay said.
COVA founder, Matt Almond, said the work with CBN illustrates one approach to embedding AI into day-to-day broking processes. “What we’re seeing with CBN is a shift from tools to true capability. COVA is not just helping brokers work faster, it’s fundamentally changing how they deliver advice and compete,” Almond said. The COVA platform operates as an AI-enabled assistant, providing real-time document analysis, policy wording review, and automated drafting of emails, reports, and summaries. A recent feature, “Cova Agent,” is designed to function as an AI teammate that can assist with renewals, quote preparation, and client communications in a semi-autonomous way, with brokers responsible for review and sign-off.
Across the CBN network, adoption has generally involved integrating AI into existing processes such as renewal cycles and mid-term reviews, rather than running it as a standalone experiment. According to CBN, some users have described the technology as “like having a senior broker sitting alongside them,” particularly in relation to checking wordings and preparing structured client communications on more complex accounts. The initiative aligns with CBN’s stated objective of standardising documentation and service processes across the network, while giving individual brokers access to consistent tools and templates.
CBN’s program comes as AI is being deployed across much of the global financial sector, including insurance. Finastra’s Financial Services State of the Nation 2026 report found that only 2% of financial institutions surveyed had not deployed AI in any form. In the same study, 43% of respondents identified AI as their main route for introducing new or improved products and processes. The survey indicates that AI is most used in risk management, fraud detection, data analytics, and reporting, with each of these applications cited by 71% of respondents. This points to AI being embedded in core control and decision-support functions, not only in isolated innovation initiatives. Customer-facing operations are another area of focus. Finastra reported that 69% of institutions use AI to support customer service teams or to manage documents and related workflows. In Australia, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has adopted AI tools in its customer service operations, illustrating how major domestic institutions are incorporating automation into channels that insurers and brokers monitor closely.
In insurance specifically, research from Accenture suggests that carriers are preparing to lift AI investment further in 2026, including in markets such as Australia. Accenture’s Pulse of Change survey, conducted between November and December 2025 across 20 industries and 20 countries, included 218 senior insurance executives within a wider group of 3,650 C-suite leaders. Ninety percent of the insurance executives surveyed said they plan to increase AI spending in 2026.
Most respondents view AI more to support revenue growth than as a pure cost-reduction tool. Eighty-five percent said they see greater benefit from AI in driving growth than in lowering expenses. That emphasis points to use cases in product development, pricing, distribution, ecosystems, and customer engagement, in addition to traditional efficiency gains in underwriting, claims, and back-office operations. The same survey highlighted barriers that may influence how much value insurers realise from AI. A quarter of insurance executives cited shortages of skilled talent as the main factor limiting returns from AI initiatives, and 24% identified misalignment between AI programs and core business strategy as a primary constraint.
