Choosing the Right AI Product Partner in a Crowded Market

Artificial intelligence has become one of the most discussed topics in insurance. Every carrier sees the potential, but separating what works from what only sounds promising can be difficult. The real challenge is not the idea of using AI but finding a partner whose technology performs reliably in production and aligns with how insurers actually operate.

For CNA Canada, the journey began with a clear vision: leverage AI to make underwriting faster, and more aligned with the realities of insurance. That meant focusing on three principles – precision, speed, and alignment – and finding a partner who could deliver on all three.

Precision Matters More Than Promises

Insurance documents are complex. Policies, loss runs, statements of values, and submissions all vary in format and structure. Extracting accurate information without manual intervention is a challenge. CNA was exploring solutions that could interpret that variability and extract the right data without extensive manual work.

“We needed a solution that could handle the variability of insurance documents and deliver clean, reliable data from day one,” says Harsh Kumar, AVP Portfolio, CNA Canada. “Working with mea allowed us to deploy an insurance-specific model quickly that was reliable and accurate.”

Building the Foundation for Future Value

Phase one wasn’t about big wins right out of the gate, it was about laying the groundwork to set CNA up for success. The team focused on getting the fundamentals right: accuracy, scalability, and integration. These are the pieces that will allow future phases to deliver real impact for underwriters.

“This was a critical first step that positions us to move faster and deliver meaningful results in the phases ahead,” says Mujtaba Mirza, VP, Operations & Governance, CNA Canada. “By moving quickly and validating performance early, we’ve built confidence in the approach and created a strong base to accelerate value in the next stages.”

Alignment with How Insurers Work

A critical success factor was mea’s understanding of insurance itself. The team’s experience within underwriting and operations meant they could anticipate CNA’s challenges and adapt the solution accordingly. They worked with the CNA team to refine performance as they scaled.

“Our team’s deep insurance expertise means we don’t just deliver technology, we deliver solutions that fit,” says Martin Henley, CEO at mea. “We worked side by side with CNA to refine performance as they scaled, ensuring AI added real value, not complexity.”

The Takeaway

For CNA, the lesson is clear: choosing the right AI product partner requires as much attention to operational fit as to technical capability. Precision, speed, and alignment aren’t just buzzwords, they’re the difference between AI that truly adds value to your business and AI that becomes another project to manage.