5 Takeaways Every Broker Should Steal From Zywave Horizon: Digital Distribution Conference
Zywave Horizon: Digital Distribution Conference brought senior brokers, carrier executives, and MGA leaders together in New York for a day of candid discussion on the forces reshaping insurance distribution. For those who weren’t in the room, the five data points and insights below are worth carrying into your next strategy conversation.
1. AI Adoption Is Nearly Universal, But AI Capability Isn’t.
Adoption of AI across the industry is no longer in question. Nearly all insurers now have generative AI initiatives underway, and full adoption has quadrupled in a single year, according to Conning’s 2025 survey.
Keynote speaker Tom Gillingham, President of Commercial Risk at NFP and incoming CEO of Totalis Specialty Group, cited some powerful third-party research as he opened the event. Only 16% of P&C insurers use AI to augment underwriting decisions, and just 6% of underwriters cite improved risk selection as its top benefit; most point to speed instead. Claims, by contrast, show measurable gains: resolution times are falling from roughly 30 days to 7.5, with per-claim costs down 30% to 40%. The competitive edge going forward, as Gillingham illustrated, will belong to whoever uses it to sharpen underwriting judgment, not just accelerate paperwork.
2. The Talent Shortfall Is Real, and the Industry Can Close It
Roughly 400,000 insurance professionals have retired since 2021, per Gillingham, and the industry projects losing half its current workforce over the next 15 years. Eighty-two percent of insurer leaders already report that staffing shortages are constraining growth. The encouraging side of this is that much of this gap is within the industry’s control.
Insurance currently ranks below mining and manufacturing in appeal to new career entrants, and 79% of Gen Z respondents say they’ve never considered working in the industry. That’s a branding and recruiting challenge, but it’s also an opportunity for organizations willing to modernize how they present this career path.
3. Customers Have Generally Stopped Waiting to Hear From Their Broker
Data shared during the day’s fireside chat on embedded distribution offers a pointed warning for any organization relying primarily on renewal-cycle outreach: 56% of policyholders say they haven’t heard from anyone about their coverage in over a year, and 21% couldn’t name their own agent or carrier.
At the same time, 88% say they want proactive advice, and 77% would prefer someone simply handle it for them. As Bryan Davis, President & CEO of VIU by HUB, HUB International, put it, “Insurance lives in the head, and customers live in the heart.” Clients aren’t disengaging out of indifference; they’re occupied elsewhere, waiting for the conversation to come to them.
4. Embedded Insurance Is Deciding Accounts Before an Advisor Ever Enters the Picture
The global embedded insurance market has reached an estimated $145 billion, by most industry estimates, expanding more than 27% annually. On the commercial side, nearly 40% of small and midsize businesses report being offered coverage at the point of another transaction, and close to half of those accepted it. This is a clear shift in who owns the first conversation, and by the time an advisor is involved, the account may already be decided.
5. Producers Are Losing Nearly Half Their Day to Work That Doesn’t Require Human Judgment
Gillingham cited Zywave’s own case for agentic AI in insurance: producers lose a significant share of their week to prospecting tasks, like enriching account data and prioritizing outreach, that don’t require human judgment.
The insurance premium market grows roughly 7% a year while the workforce grows under 2%, and nearly one in two new producers fail to validate within 24 months. That’s the less-discussed half of the talent shortage. The industry doesn’t just need more people; it needs the people already in seat spending less time on work AI can absorb.
Continue the Conversation at Zywave Horizon: Cyber Risk NYC
For brokers and carriers still working through what these takeaways mean for their own strategy, Cyber Risk NYC is a natural next stop. The discussion continues at Zywave Horizon: Cyber Risk NYC 2026, bringing together cyber risk professionals and insurance buyers for a day focused on emerging threats, regulatory developments, and current market conditions. Register now to secure your seat.