(Guru Vasudeva, SVP, CTO,  P&C, Nationwide. Source: Nationwide.) 

Nationwide (Columbus, Ohio) is moving aggressively to define what an AI-powered insurer looks like. The company’s recent $1.5 billion technology and AI investment plan, which earmarks $100 million annually through 2028 for artificial intelligence, reflects both confidence in the technology’s transformative capacity and a determination to lead responsibly.

“This is as big as light bulbs,” says Guru Vasudeva, SVP and Chief Technology Officer for Property & Casualty, Nationwide. “We’ve been doing predictive modeling for 15 years, but this is different. Generative AI isn’t deterministic—you don’t have to program every step. The possibilities are enormous.”

From Predictive Models to Generative Intelligence

Nationwide has been applying machine learning for more than a decade, using deterministic models to help agents decide which leads to pursue or to optimize pricing and claims outcomes. But Vasudeva describes the generative era as an inflection point—a shift from optimizing specific decisions to transforming how work gets done.

“Traditional predictive models are about defining a goal and coding toward it,” he explains. “Generative AI is probabilistic—it adapts and creates. That’s why we see it as a genuine disruption, not just another incremental advance.”

Vasudeva says that while many insurers are experimenting with the new technology, Nationwide has deliberately moved from experimentation to execution. “We started with a ‘let a thousand flowers bloom’ approach—giving every associate access to Microsoft Copilot, for example—and now we’re concentrating investment around 18 flagship initiatives. We want to go from innovation everywhere to transformation at scale.”

Flagship Use Cases: From Underwriting to Code Modernization

Among those flagship efforts is Project Rosie, an underwriting initiative for the large farm and commercial agribusiness segment. The project’s namesake—a nod to Rosie the Robot Maid from The Jetsons—embodies its purpose: to automate laborious data handling while leaving human decision-making intact.

“When we receive submissions that run hundreds of pages, underwriters spend days sorting through them,” Vasudeva says. “With generative AI agents, we can scan documents, flag missing fields, and even draft requests for additional information. The underwriter remains in control, but the work moves exponentially faster.”

Another initiative targets Nationwide’s own software engineering backlog. “We manage over 750 applications, each requiring upgrades for resiliency and cybersecurity,” Vasudeva notes. “A project that would have taken three years and hundreds of thousands of dollars—upgrading an agency portal with thousands of screens—was done in days using generative AI. We expect full completion in three months instead of three years.”

The company’s Claims Log Notes tool is already in production, summarizing thousands of complex claims interactions weekly. “When a customer calls about a months-old claim, service reps used to spend minutes reading through documentation,” Vasudeva says. “Now AI delivers an instant summary, so they can focus on empathy and problem-solving.”

Building Literacy and Confidence Across the Workforce

Nationwide’s leadership recognizes that AI transformation isn’t just about tools—it’s about people. Vasudeva says the company aims for 90 percent of employees to use AI-powered tools by next year, not as a mandate but as a measure of fluency.

“We think in two broad categories: everyday AI and business process AI,” he explains. “Everyday AI is about personal productivity—tools like Copilot and Glean that help associates find information, write faster, and think more creatively. We measure success by whether people report that these tools make their work better and faster.”

Cultural readiness has been a deliberate focus. Vasudeva cites the example of Brad Liggett, president of Nationwide Agribusiness, who appointed an AI evangelist from within his underwriting ranks to champion adoption. “It’s powerful when a respected peer leads the charge,” Vasudeva says. “That grassroots approach helps people see AI as an enabler, not a top-down mandate.”

He adds that AI adoption is also attracting new talent. “Our college hires are already using generative tools like GitHub Copilot. They’re surprised and excited to find a financial services company at the forefront of this kind of innovation. It’s making insurance a more appealing industry.”

Measuring Impact and Maintaining Trust

Nationwide’s technology investment—roughly 20 percent of its IT budget—is both measured and ambitious. The investment builds on IT spending on modernization exceeding $5 billion since 2015, and its current $1.5 billion plan is designed to propel growth from $75 billion in annual revenue to over $100 billion.

“It’s a bold but disciplined investment,” Vasudeva says. “We’re not spending for the sake of it—we’re focusing on the areas that improve speed, quality, and productivity so that efficiency gains can be reinvested in growth.”

A cornerstone of the effort is responsible AI. “We’re applying the same rigor to AI governance that we’ve used for data protection and cybersecurity,” he says. “Nationwide’s Blue and Red Teams—focused respectively on innovation and risk—work together to ensure each tool is deployed responsibly.”

A North Star for the AI Future

Looking beyond 2026, Vasudeva envisions half of Nationwide’s flagship projects delivering what he calls “wildly successful outcomes.” But the broader goal is to embed AI throughout operations, blending automation with human judgment to elevate decision-making and customer experience.

“Our aim is to make better decisions faster and more consistently,” he says. “That means freeing people to focus on creativity, empathy, and expertise—things machines can’t replicate.”

Vasudeva also expects Nationwide to play a leadership role in shaping industry standards for AI transparency, fairness, and consumer trust. “Generative AI raises new questions for everyone,” he notes. “We want to be part of defining the answers.”

As Nationwide enters what CEO Kirt Walker calls “the next industrial revolution powered by artificial intelligence,” Vasudeva sees opportunity not only in technology but in culture. “This is about evolving how we work, not replacing who we are,” he says. “AI is helping us imagine a smarter, faster, and more human future for insurance.”

Nationwide Commits $1.5 Billion to Accelerate AI and Technology Modernization