At Allianz's annual Media Barbecue in Munich, CEO Oliver Bäte described artificial intelligence as the "baseline" of the insurer's business-not an add-on-framing it within a strategy built on trust, responsible governance, and human expertise. The July 8 event detailed how the 130-year-old company plans to use AI for faster claims, personalized service, and risk management across its 100-million-customer base.
Trust as a guiding principle
Bäte opened the event by calling the current period "crazy times," listing Brexit, the Trump presidency, COVID-19, and the war in Ukraine as successive shocks. For Allianz, he said, trust has been the stabilizing force that allowed the company to keep promises to customers, employees, and investors. "AI is not an add-on but the 'baseline' of the business and a catalyst for better customer experiences," Bäte said.
AI elevates human expertise, not replaces it
Board member Sirma Boshnakova stressed that Allianz's 130 years of risk knowledge, data, and 100 million customers make the company hard to replace-even as AI scales support. "Then we'll still be there for our customers on Sunday evenings, even when no employees are working," she said. AI will speed up insurance purchases, home assistance, and auto damage claims while keeping human judgment central.
Managing AI's downside: from deepfakes to AI washing
Thomas Sepp, Chief Claims Officer for Allianz Commercial, pointed to emerging risks: failing vehicle AI systems, deepfake social engineering, and AI washing-a misleading marketing tactic that exaggerates a product's AI capabilities. He warned that adoption and liability issues are outpacing governance. Allianz is positioning itself as a risk manager, using claims analysis and AI help centers to address these threats. This focus on risk aligns with broader AI for Insurance discussions, where risk management and claims automation are central themes.
People and processes outweigh tools
Board member Renate Wagner presented Allianz's internal chatbot, "Mia," which lets employees answer simple customer questions faster. She offered a formula for the transformation: "70 percent of the transformation is about people and processes, 20 percent is data, and only 10 percent is tools." Empathy, sound judgment, and customer focus differentiate the company, she said. For executives mapping their own AI strategy, this breakdown echoes guidance found in resources like AI for Executives & Strategy, where organizational readiness often determines success.
Responsible AI as a way of working
Board member Barbara Karuth-Zelle described the organizational foundation Allianz is building: responsible use, transparency, human oversight, fairness, and data protection. Artificial intelligence, she said, is becoming more than a tool-it is a way of working.
Why this matters for executives and strategy
Allianz's approach shows that even a century-old firm treats AI not as a technology project but as an operating model shift. The emphasis on trust, risk management, and the 70-20-10 people-to-tools ratio offers a reference point for leaders managing their own AI transitions. The takeaway: governance and human factors must scale alongside algorithms, or the trust that underpins customer relationships will erode.
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