Description: On January 12, 2023, the Arizona Blockchain Applied Research Center (AZ BARC) and the SOA Research Institute jointly ran a workshop on the use of blockchain technology in insurance and financial industries. The workshop included presentations focused on academic research in the blockchain space by Arizona State University, AZ BARC and an industry expert panel assembled by the SOA Research Institute. This document summarizes the research highlights and the discussions that occurred during the two-hour workshop.

Description: Decentralized finance, or DeFi, is an emerging financial system powered by blockchain technology. This research report aims to introduce actuaries to DeFi and help them develop a solid understanding of DeFi. It will begin with addressing “what is DeFi?” by providing an introduction on blockchains and DeFi. It will then discuss in further detail the key characteristics, applications, opportunities, and risks of DeFi. After providing the foundation, this report will discuss the potential adoption of DeFi and its interaction with the current financial system (sometime referred to as traditional finance for contrast with DeFi), and the implications for practicing and aspiring actuaries. In addition, a glossary of terms used in DeFi and a brief history of the development of DeFi have been included in the appendix.

Description: The global doubling of information content has been estimated to occur at a rate of every 12 hours, and conceivably faster. This ‘infowhelm’ is a double-edged sword for insurers. While maximization of the global knowledge base can fuel innovation, it can occur only in the context of reasonable cost for a higher benefit. The insurance industry – underwriters and actuaries in particular – are challenged to constantly examine new innovations that promise to raise confidence and protective value for insurability, within legal limits. This report aims to be the first of several to alert the SOA of promising innovations for the profession.

Description: The objective of this paper is to provide a practical guide with concrete case studies to help actuaries implement artificial intelligence and machine learning (AIML) to help accelerate the speed of analysis for life and annuity actuarial modeling. We do so by researching the existing literature regarding AIML and its applicability to stochastic modeling and exploring case studies.

Description: On October 7, 2023, the SOA Research Institute assembled an industry expert panel to discuss current issues in GenAI. The group was diverse in terms of employment, including company actuaries from life, health and property/casualty backgrounds, as well as consultants from various kinds of firms.

Description: In September 2017, the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) issued the “C-ROSS Phase II project construction plan”, planned to be used across three years’ time, by perfecting the regulations, improving the operational mechanism and strengthening the regulatory cooperation.

Description: This report explores the adoption and impact of artificial intelligence and large language models in the Greater China insurance industry, drawing from surveys and case studies.

Description: Leveraging advanced technologies like Generative AI is essential for insurers looking to compete and drive business growth. In this high-level webcast, we discuss the transformative potential of Generative AI in actuarial work and how it empowers actuaries to become more efficient and effective.

Description: The document is a Call for Essays from the Society of Actuaries Research Institute. Share your real-world experiences with AI in actuarial work—challenges, wins, and lessons—to shape the future of the profession.

Description: This project enhances the current understanding of cyber risks in the smart home ecosystem from the insurance industry's perspective. In particular, the quantitative framework and pricing strategies developed in this project can be immediately adopted/adapted by actuaries to price the cyber risks for smart homes, a fast-growing insurance market.