MS Amlin has launched an AI tool that it expects to halve the time taken to review reinsurance contract wordings, helping underwriters respond to brokers faster during the January 1 renewal season.
The tool, known internally as Wordy Bot, analyses reinsurance contracts against MS Amlin’s underwriting standards. It flags missing clauses, wording differences and potential inconsistencies for review by underwriters and the wordings team. MS Amlin said this should mean fewer rounds of questions and revisions, and faster progress to placement.
It also gives underwriters insight into the risks being taken on, helping them assess how wording changes affect coverage and exposure, at both contract and portfolio level.
Wordy Bot is already in use on MS Amlin’s North American property reinsurance book and will support the team through the 1 January renewals. The company plans to extend it to North American casualty reinsurance, then the rest of its reinsurance portfolio and, later, direct insurance.
The tool was developed by teams at MS Amlin in London with MSIG Asia in Singapore, through the MSIG group’s global automation programme. The work was led by Dr Fei Ling Woon, head of robotics in MS Amlin’s business services team.
“For brokers, the value of Wordy Bot is the potential for quicker reviews, fewer avoidable questions and greater clarity over the wording before a contract is finalised,” said Martin Burke, chief underwriting officer at MS Amlin.
Burke stressed that the tool does not make underwriting decisions or replace the judgement of underwriters and the wordings team. He said it means underwriters can spend more time interpreting wording changes rather than finding them.
That approach reflects how cautious the industry remains about AI in high-stakes decisions. Research published this month by technology research firm ISG found 75% of insurance decision-makers would trust only an insurance-specific AI model or a governed hybrid of AI and human oversight for underwriting and claims decisions. Only 6% would accept a general-purpose AI model on its own.
The timing matters. With reinsurance markets softening and cedants pushing for broader terms, wording changes at renewal can quietly widen coverage. That makes it more important to spot changes than in a hard market, where reinsurers set the terms. Recent events have also shown how wording decides claims. As Insurance Business has reported, losses that fall into gaps between policy wordings are often where disputes arise.
For reinsurance brokers, faster and more consistent wording reviews could shorten the back-and-forth that often delays January placements. Fewer avoidable questions from the reinsurer should mean quicker firm orders.
The flip side is that reinsurers using AI review tools will spot wording changes more reliably. Brokers seeking broader terms for cedants should expect each change to be identified and assessed, rather than slipping through under deadline pressure. Clear explanations of why a change is needed will matter more.
