Description: This session will explore the considerations and best practices for developing AI tools that are useful, safe, and transparent for actuarial work. While large language models (LLMs) offer exciting possibilities, it is crucial to understand when and how to use them effectively. The session will cover key concepts of LLMs and case studies on developing AI tools for retrieval-augmented generation and summary creation of actuarial documents. Attendees will learn about the importance of designing workflows that nudge users towards safe and effective processes. By the end of the session, participants will gain insights into the responsible use of LLMs in actuarial practice and learn how to leverage their potential to support professional growth.

Description: Artificial intelligence is no longer an emerging technology — it is rapidly becoming the core engine of risk selection, pricing, underwriting, and customer interaction across insurance and financial services. But as models evolve into autonomous agentic systems and decision pipelines become more complex, traditional guardrails are being stress-tested like never before.

Description: The insurance industry is working rapidly to understand the potential for transformation as artificial intelligence reshapes how products are marketed and distributed. This webcast brings together founders and senior leaders at the forefront of this change to discuss how AI is being applied to better understand customer behavior, personalize outreach, streamline lead generation, and improve distribution efficiency. Discussion will focus on future use cases and how the use of AI in marketing could change product design and customer behavior.

Description: The landscape of the reinsurance industry is evolving amid profound changes in the insurance sector. Innovation is vital for reinsurers as risks become more complex and insurers transition from a role of "protection" to "prevention." Successful reinsurers are responding to market dynamics, particularly through open innovation – collaboration with startups.

Description: This article, directed at actuaries, will explain the basics of blockchain in very simple terms and we will then examine some UK/European-based use cases where blockchain is already being used or developed.

Description: Letter from the editor, outlining the theme and providing a brief description of each article within this edition of NewsDirect.

Description: As an undergrad student, I discussed about my understanding of how AI is going to influence insurance industry through my volunteer experience with the SOA Actuarial Innovation and Technology Repository.

Description: The journey for microinsurance, nowadays called inclusive insurance, started a long time ago and is not complete in the majority of the low-income and low middle-income markets. When seeking to enhance inclusive insurance markets, it is useful and necessary to have a good understanding because it entails a different treatment of customers, distribution, products, pricing, client management, premium collection, claims declaration and settlement, and reporting.

Description: During the2019 InsureTech Connect conference in Las Vegas, the Society of Actuaries (SOA) and Plug and Play today announced the two organizations are nearing an agreement on professional development offerings and learning opportunities. The SOA and Plug and Play plan to work together on a variety of InsurTech-focused events and projects for the SOA membership, insurance industry and technology sector.

Description: Al is reshaping the actuarial profession at an unprecedented pace. This article explores how emerging technologies—machine learning, generative AI, and automation—are transforming actuarial practice across pricing, reserving, and risk management. It highlights opportunities for actuaries to harness AI for deeper insights, enhanced predictive power, and more efficient workflows, while also addressing the challenges of transparency, bias, and ethical responsibility. The discussion situates AI within the broader context of professional standards and regulatory expectations, emphasizing the need for governance frameworks that safeguard trust and accountability. Drawing from real-world case studies and current research, the article examines how the actuary’s role is evolving from traditional modeling to strategic data leadership. It calls for continuous learning and interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure that actuaries remain central to the future of risk and finance. Ultimately, this article offers a balanced roadmap—one that recognizes AI as both a disruptive force and a catalyst for professional reinvention.