EP 19 - Emotion, Efficiency, and Empathy: Redesigning Trust in the Age of AI
Insurance has always been about protection. But in a digital world, protection must go beyond efficiency. It must feel personal.
In this Episode:
Francois Jacquemin and Neil Wirasinha discuss how AI and avatars can make insurance more human by simplifying communication, reducing anxiety, and creating trust through empathy.
When I spoke with Neil Wirasinha, we explored how empathy can coexist with technology. What began as a conversation about digital transformation evolved into a reflection on what people truly value: reassurance, understanding, and genuine presence.
When efficiency becomes emotional.
AI has already transformed the insurance industry. Automation, analytics, and data-driven decisions have made processes faster and more precise. Yet one challenge remains: how to make service feel human.
Neil and I discussed an idea that bridges this gap with avatars. Digital representatives who are always available, patient, and clear. They explain complex conditions in plain language. They answer the same question, as many times as needed, without irritation or judgment.
This kind of interaction removes the hesitation many people feel when contacting their insurer. There is no anxiety about timing or tone. No fear of disturbing someone. Just access, reassurance, and clarity.
When availability builds confidence.
Many clients already prefer to manage everything online. It is not a rejection of people, but a reflection of how trust is built today through constant availability. They want answers at any time, in any place, without waiting on hold or searching through lengthy documents.
Insurance companies are beginning to respond. Some are developing digital platforms that offer exactly this: clear information, instant interaction, and simple reassurance.
The next evolution is not about removing human beings. It is about giving every client a human-like presence that is available when needed.
Technology as an amplifier of empathy.
True innovation in our sector will not come from more data, but from better connections. Technology can scale empathy by freeing humans from repetitive tasks and enabling them to focus where emotion and understanding are most required.
In this way, emotion, efficiency, and empathy become inseparable. Together, they redefine what service means.
The goal is not to replace trust with automation. It is to make trust visible in every interaction, every answer, and every moment of reassurance.
That is how we redesign protection for the age of AI.
Timecode:
00:00 Introduction: The Power of Movies
00:43 Emotional Impact of Cinema
01:21 Industry Comparisons and Market Strategies
02:02 The Role of Data and Transformation
02:43 Insurance Industry Challenges
04:14 Improving Customer Experience
06:20 The Future of AI in Insurance
09:49 Conclusion: The Need for Availability and Clarity
Francois Links:
Apple Podcast
Guest:
Neil Wirasinha:https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilwirasinha
Transcript:
But I think there’s lots of disciplines like in your world and, and, and, and probably something that the financial services and insurance could do a better job at. And I’d love to get your view on this is what movies have done for years, which.They can transport you. They, they literally think about you as that individual consumer. So when you are watching a movie, you can be, when you are really lost in the screen, you’re transformed back in time, forward in time. It gives you, you know, love and loss and all of those things. So only plays on the emotions, even on comedies.Right?There’s nothing better than going to watch a comedy in a cinema or a horror film just because when somebody next to you is getting scared, you can pick up on it. You are looking at the screen. Yeah. But peripherals on it. So the emotional side of it is really, really cool.
You hope that somebody’s shouting louder than you so that you, you’re exactly, I mean, it’s, I don’t sit next to me in a cinema because I laugh so loudly.And I’m terrified easily. So I can, I can probably give you the next experience of movie going, but I think like the five D there’s a four D now and then it could be five Ds with you.I think so.
I’m in London, so you would have to come sit next to me in London, that’s for sure. But I think the industries are all the same.At the end of the day, we’re all trying to work out what’s the best route to market, what’s the most efficient route to market. You know, data and transformation has changed the movie going industry, the the, and it’s not just the movie going industry. Think about the competitive set that I’ve got a choice.I can go to the cinema and buy a ticket or I can sit at home on my sofa. It’s the same for you. It’s changing a lot of how we operate is, is that? is, that
Let’s come back to that just afterwards, but I just like to answer your question.Do insurance company have to improve and, and, and make their client feel that they’re special? Yeah. I, I think they should. And there’s a path.they all invest zillions of, um, of, of, of euros on this, you know, 250 billion euros or dollars invested every year into, uh, you know, AI and, and, and, and digitalization. And, and, and Why do they do that? Is to to create a better service to the client. is to be more efficient is to uh, to be quicker for the clients, is to be able to, to develop a better product for the client.Um, and, um. And, and, and, and more and more. Uh, it’s not only about the, the insurance product. It’s is what Everything is done next before and, and, and after what we call the claim. So the the basically, when, when when, uh, there is a problem, and that the insurers to pay for it. But everything before, if you talk about the health insurance,how much works need to be done into, you know, improving the health before it becomes a problem.So there is the health, there’s the detection of, of,of the early detection of uh, serious sickness or noso, serious sickness. That could also help into, uh, improving the, uh, the life of, of, of a person. Of course you’d like to have a beer or maybe a french fry or, you know.But, um, isn’t that better to know that you, you could have diabetes and still enjoy a little bit of it instead of having from one day to the next, you know, a, a life changing, um, event that needs to avoid all those things.
I, I, I completely agree.My, the, the, the, the, the entertainment industry doesn’t have to carry the same amount of pain. Right. And, and, And, weight, let’s say it’s for horror movie, that’s gonna be fun. Yeah, for sure. Right.
So for your industry as a whole, it’s, it’s, it’s not as bad as say, real estate where nobody really likes estate agents or realtors,but there is often a time that.but, but there’s often a time that you know, that people think,can I really, you know, will they really pay out? How do, do they really care about me? Clearly the individuals in the trade and in the industry, they’re not there thinking what’s, what’s the way of saying no in the most creative way? I don’t think that’s creativity in your industry, but there is, but there is a perception, a broader perce perception that might discredit the industry, which you’ve got to also overcome.I, that’s a challenge.
That’s a it’s, it’s huge challenge. It’s um, and, and you see that everywhere there,there’s, well,I was watching a movie the other day and, you know, uh, they were just bashing a bit the, the insurance world and, um,and I’m afraid it, it is sometimes it’s to the business because you cover people, you cover, you cover things, and, um, not everything is always covered.Yeah.Yeah. are more there, you know, there are things that are covered, things that are not covered.When it’s not covered, It can be a drama for the people. So it’s about making sure that when it is sold to a person, a contract is sold to a person, or to to to an employer who wants to cover his employees or employees, then you have to be very, very clear about what is covered and not covered.And when you decline a claim, you don’t want to pay. You also need to be very clear about that and happens to everybody. You know, if you have an insurance you think more or less, that is covered. but You don’t have all the, details. so how can you be clear? you know, Do you want to sit in front of your insurance agent?for half an hour? is going to say what is covered, what is not covered? Well, of course not. I mean, who is doing that? Even the agent after 15 minutes will be bored by, by, by, by saying that for the 276 times, although it’s his job,They do a very good job in being clear, but.You need to not be able to do that. Only once. And you know, how can you make it?accessible To peopleSo there’s, there’s the text, there is, there are the agents.There’s also the question. the Q and A elementwhich doesn’t happen very often in the insurance world. Why? because the availability of your agent, you know, if you call for the six time, then going to be, oh my god, you know, I’m Philip up answering the question.I think tech couldreally help that get an avatar.you know, like a, a movie store. Let’s, you spoke about the, you know, Dwayne Johnson earlier. Let’s say Dwayne explaining insurance to people, you know, If it’s avatar, he can ask him 260times the question, you know, every weekend in the morning in the evening, he’s always available. It is Dwayne’s avatar and he can explain. SoI think it’s important to have that thisthis, this, um, all round. Be available all the time. It’s Probably not, because the insurance industry, but if you have. All those social media, whichever they are,you, you just look at them it like.cool, cool, cool. You know, coming back yesterday toto, to London, Uh, you know, what do I do on the taxi You Like looking at uh, LinkedIn, looking at the Instagram and so on. And it’s, it’s happening all the time. So the micro moment are filled now beforeit was like you look at, you know, the weather or so, and I think insurance need to be there also at that, at that, moment or at least available, not necessarily be overwhelming, but be available. The availability,of the service need to be, to be.
That would be pretty re that would be pretty reassure as a customer. I would feel really reassured that, especially when you’re traveling away from home and, and you’re thinking what’s the, something could happen like, and you could just pull out your phone and get on your insurance app.Sounds strange, but we’re so accustomed to having maybe 10 apps open. There’s nothing wrong with having it open. Right. And saying, oh, how do you get over jet lag quickly? Or what’s your recommends here? And actually getting quite a human. Response that of course it’s gonna be generative, but it’ll be quite a nice thing.And, and also you can share your mood with it to be able to maybe get some advice or, or don’t worry, you are covered. Even just the, the reassurance. Or, or, or, or, or you say, look, I’m, I’m thinking about doing this. Ah, I probably wouldn’t do that ‘cause you’re not really covered for it. Whatever it is. I mean, I’m not that, but I’m the entertainment guy, right?I’m not the assurance guy. But it, but it would feel more reassuring than signing up to a service and being sent a PDF of the terms and conditions you’ve agreed to that sit in your inbox and you never read. And you really hope you don’t have to read until the unfortunate circumstance means you do have to read it and then you read it in language.That is probably not the language that you would use to choose to, to communicate And sometimeswe, we just say, oh, as you could have read in the condition article, you know, so and so, paragraph is you.know, it’s like, uh, 14.1 0.8.What?Yeah.Yeah.
Thank you for the answer.It’s not, it’s not working for me.There is no emotion in that. So we need to bring emotion And also in.our, in, our, in, in, in talking to client, there’s also 1, 1, 1 thing I’mconvinced of is, asking question requires courageAnd if you ask question to your insurer,you, you’re gonna think you’re disturbed insurer, you’re going to, you, you,know, oh, it’s the wrong time. Maybe there’s somethingelse. He’s going to be upset because I’ve already asked the question. So this, the, the fact that you have, um,AI generatedavatars that have these trees ofability to, answer question that, you know, you don’t disturb, you don’t feel that there is judgment from the other part.I find that Super important. think it is.
I, I, you’ve gotta make the transaction of information as, as simple as possible. We’ve, a lot of us have grown up in a world of, you know, you get through to your insurer, right?You’ve called the number, you get through to your insurer, and then you know that you probably at least four keypad inputs away from talking to a human being. And that human being is clearly trying to collect your information, validate who you are, collect your information, and then try and treat with you, you know, triage you in a, in a certain way, and then exit the call because they’ve also got to do a number of these and be available.I had an employee that worked for me, um,ridiculously bright, um, and, and really helped my team grow in, in, in an amazing way and in a great leader that could lead a call or take on ownership of a project. But in her personal life of buying her first London property, she was terrified of talking to estate agents and ideally would only have to do it online and use an age, you know, an AI agent in the same way that she said, I’ve chosen my bank because there are no human beings that work at my bank because the questions I have, you know, it would take me half an hour to get through to them and I’d be so nervous that I thought it would be like a one question thing.So it gives, yes, there’s a, there’s a, there’s actually less anxiety, uh, at any time of the day to go and ask that question. Right?
Alright. That’s very interesting. Good example Buck. thank you. There is. One thing we need to come back to, you spoke about, uh, we spoke earlier about, um,um, agents, insurance agents, and, um, we didn’t go to it, but there was, uh, insurance companies launched their own online firm because precisely this. there are Some clients, they don’t want, to speak to an agent, to broker, whether this is, is representing basically they don’t want a human being. Yeah. They just want to be very quickly there. They want a hundred percent availability. at any time. Yeah. And, uh, if I’m just looking at what you said earlier about, you know, the, the movies, Netflix.