Description: Introduction to PMML and how to use of it in the R programming language. PMML is an interchange format for predictive models.

Description: Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are accelerating us into the fourth industrial revolution. In the next few years technological change and innovation will be rapid. The implications of AI on the actuarial profession are real and game changing. This session will help health actuaries understand what to expect from AI, how to begin using AI, and how AI will dramatically enhance the actuarial profession in the near future.

Description: Often actuarial practitioners are faced with working with data that is less than ideal. The data may be observed with gaps in it, a model may suggest variables that are observed at different frequencies, and sometimes predictive analytic results are very fragile to the inclusion or omission of just a few observations in the sample. Data, particularly big data, are often "messy" and something must be done about it. What is the actuary to do about these very practical matters? These types of questions are what this presentation is intended to address. Concerns on missing data, outliers, nonlinearity, mixed-frequency, cross-correlations are illustrated using real datasets in the Asia-Pacific countries. Some possible solutions to the messy data problems will be discussed.

Description: This session will cover clustering techniques generally (k-means, hierarchical), and how k-means have been used to segment policyholders using third party features such as credit scores to assess customer profitability.

Description: This session will review limited fluctuation credibility, and how to apply that approach to a GLM. Alternative credibility approaches through the lens of ASOP 25 will also be discussed.

Description: Read the August 2018 issue of Predictive Analytics and Futurism newsletter published by the Predictive Analytics and Futurism Section.

Description: This is a case study session where the speakers will describe a project where a major health system converted its provider distinct reimbursement (i.e., separate physician IPA and hospital capitation) to an integrated reimbursement involving global capitation. The session will discuss the strategic issues considered by the parties and how they evaluated them in their decision process. This session will provide attendees an example of how to approach this type of decision.

Description: Often actuarial practitioners are faced with working with data that is less than ideal. The data may be observed with gaps in it, a model may suggest variables that are observed at different frequencies, and sometimes predictive analytic results are very fragile to the inclusion or omission of just a few observations in the sample. Data, particularly big data, are often "messy" and something must be done about it. What is the actuary to do about these very practical matters? These types of questions are what this presentation is intended to address. Concerns on missing data, outliers, nonlinearity, mixed-frequency, cross-correlations are illustrated using real datasets in the Asia-Pacific countries. Some possible solutions to the messy data problems will be discussed.

Description: If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to begin exploring data analytics, machine learning, and AI, Microsoft has created a number of Data Science Virtual Machine images which include many of the most popular ML/AI tools pre-installed. In this presentation, we will start from scratch and demonstrate how to get onto the Azure cloud, fire up and connect to a Data Science VM, upload data, and train a machine learning model. While this presentation will use Microsoft’s Azure cloud, many of the concepts should be directly applicable to AWS or GCP.

Description: This session is a primer on how to apply Gestalt psychology to display quantitative information to improve neural receptiveness. While much of brain functioning is still a mystery to psychologists and neuroscientists, we do understand a great deal about which parts of the brain engage or disengage given visual cues. Actuaries are often tasked with presenting very technical information and are prone to focus more on the substance of numerical data rather than a pictorial presentation based on neural preferences. This presentation will discuss how to display quantitative information more effectively tailored to these preferences.