For this episode of Life Accelerated, we welcome back Richard Wiedenbeck of Ameritas. Richard was actually the first-ever guest on the podcast, for an episode published in April 2022.
At that time, Richard was the company’s Chief Technology and Transformation Officer. An executive with tremendous experience in life insurance and other industries, he was formerly CIO of Ameritas, and this year he became the company’s Chief AI Officer.
The existence of Richard’s title is itself an indication of the progress being made in the study and adoption of AI both at Ameritas and the life industry more broadly. Richard’s new role provided a great opportunity to hear about how AI is enabling greater efficiency and smarter decision making at Ameritas, as the company navigates the challenges of cost and productivity in a rapidly changing world.
In our conversation we dive into the practical steps Ameritas is taking to apply AI to fruitful use cases, to integrate it broadly into its operations and to improve underwriting processes while enhancing productivity.
I think Richard’s bracing discussion about the potential of AI at Ameritas is not likely to be comforting to executives with cautious look-and-see approach. But then, this is a man who, during the last six years has run 84 half-marathons in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and is scheduled to run the full New York Marathon in November.
One of the things that the conversation clarified is that AI is playing a transformative role at Ameritas. The technology isn’t just about automation—it’s about smarter decision-making and creating efficiencies that can support growth without escalating costs. While Ameritas is focusing more on the back office first, the company is quickly gathering vital learning about AI to apply across the life insurance value chain.
The Life Accelerated podcast is created in partnership with Equisoft. Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe today at https://www.equisoft.com/life-accelerated-podcast.
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