If one overarching theme brought together the discussions throughout the event, it was undoubtedly agentic AI, which came as little surprise to anyone. The world’s leading insurance industry players agree on one thing: AI agents will be a game changer for customer service and operational efficiency. But for this to happen, every company – and its employees – must be ready.
The ambition to integrate agents across the entire lifecycle of a product, solution, or process was evident in every session. The industry is eager to take the next step – and is already doing so. However, it is still too early to see truly significant results, and companies are in the midst of adapting and transforming:
- Technological adaptation: Legacy systems and established processes must be reviewed and adapted to accommodate agentic AI, guided by a clear, well-defined strategy.
- Human transformation: People must remain at the core and be the foundation that underpins all these AI agents. In an industry where trust is paramount, no company can afford to let AI agents operate with complete autonomy, a point we at Mapfre have been making for some time.
AI agents for a more personal digital distribution experience
One company that stood out during the discussions was Tuio, a company specializing in the digital distribution of insurance products, with advanced technological capabilities and a high level of maturity in its use of AI across its business model. Mapfre has acquired a 38.9% stake in the company. This startup already generates more than 20% of its new customers through AI assistants.
During a town hall held at the ITC Latam space, which focused on the specific challenges and opportunities in the region, Hugues Bertín, president of Alianza Insurtech Panamericana and a leading insurtech expert in Latin America; Carlos Cendra, Scouting & Investment Lead for Corporate Innovation at Mapfre; and Juan García, co-founder of Tuio, explored the topic in greater depth.
The part of the discussion that generated the most interest among the audience focused on lessons learned from selling insurance through ChatGPT and how these channels are opening up new opportunities for a more customer-centric, frictionless digital distribution experience. They offer a space where insurance-related queries and comparisons ahead of purchase are increasing week by week.
“We’re talking about ChatGPT because Tuio was the first company to sell insurance through this LLM, and the results have been positive. But the reality is that the possibilities are endless. The channel itself is not what matters most – what matters is how we embed insurance products and solutions into customers’ everyday lives. Insurance is no longer a destination customers seek out; it is now part of a journey they are already on,” said Carlos Cendra during his speech.
The future of distribution is more agentic and agnostic than ever
That same customer journey was a recurring theme in several discussions at ITC Vegas. The path consumers take when purchasing insurance has changed. Customers don’t wake up in the morning thinking, “Today, I want to buy insurance.” They want to buy a home, plan a trip, rent a property, use a vehicle, protect a device, or get a quick answer from a digital assistant. Insurance becomes part of these everyday needs, but it is rarely the end goal.
In this context, the audience identified embedded insurance as one of the key drivers of continued trust-building and business growth. Until now, however, embedded insurance has largely been viewed as an integration challenge: how to incorporate an insurance policy into another company’s customer journey. But that approach falls short. The next competitive frontier lies in the very architecture of the decision-making process: where insurance needs to be embedded, why it belongs there, and whether the offer feels natural enough to consumers or instead creates friction by taking them out of their journey.
One of the key takeaways from experts over the three days of the event was that purchasing platforms are already shaping the customer journey. AI agents are beginning to interpret customer intent, compare alternatives, and coordinate actions.
For insurance companies, the question is therefore no longer simply where the policy appears. The real question is whether insurance companies will remain visible, differentiated, and accountable as customer decisions become increasingly mediated by intelligent systems.
During a session on the ITC Vegas Growth Stage, Leire Jiménez, Chief Innovation Officer at Mapfre and CEO of Mawdy, examined how the B2B2C model continues to evolve beyond traditional distribution structures toward more connected ecosystems, where multiple players work together to create end-to-end customer experiences, with AI agents playing a key role. The session explored the importance of coordination within these ecosystems and how insurance companies can continue to deliver value as digital interactions become increasingly complex.
“Distribution allows us to be present at a specific point in the customer relationship. Orchestration coordinates the entire outcome the customer expects. But agent-based mediation goes one step further: it changes how decisions are made. An AI agent could ultimately be the first to identify a need, compare the available options, and, eventually, make the purchase on the customer’s behalf. In an agent-driven market, insurance companies must be discoverable by machines, integrated into ecosystems, and accountable to people,” the executive said during her session.
As a result, the next battle for distribution will not be fought solely among agents, brokers, bancassurance providers, and direct channels. It will be about controlling, or being present in, the interface through which customers make decisions. The future is more agentic than ever.
The natural next step for insurance companies is to adopt a channel-agnostic approach to distribution. The goal is not to defend any one channel, but to select the right combination of digital interactions, human advice, platforms, partners, and ecosystems for each customer and each moment.
“The insurance companies of the future will not succeed simply because more people choose to search for and purchase a policy. They will succeed by making protection available exactly where customers already are, at the moment it becomes relevant. The winners will be those who know how to show up at these moments, with the right partners, the right technology, and the trust our industry has built over decades,” said Mapfre’s Carlos Cendra during his lecture on the ITC Latam stage.
Collaboration as the central pillar of growth
At Mapfre, we believe in collaborating with the insurtech ecosystem to deliver value, generate business, and become more agile and efficient. We have been pursuing this approach for years. In 2025 alone, we worked with more than 50 startups worldwide, and the wider industry shares this commitment. In fact, more startups took part in the three-day event than in previous years, underscoring the importance of the global ecosystem to the insurance industry.
While the event showcased joint projects and use cases, some of the more ambitious participants also shared the results of their pilot programs. Yet a shared understanding appears to have emerged: startups should not be seen as threats or mere providers. Today, they serve as explorers, testing disruptive approaches to reaching end users.
“Startups experiment, learn quickly, and design new experiences. Insurance companies bring a different set of capabilities: technical knowledge, trust, financial strength, regulatory expertise, market access, and the ability to operate at scale. A startup can uncover a new interface. An insurance company can turn that discovery into a sustainable, scalable capability,” explained the head of Corporate Innovation Scouting at Mapfre during the presentation.
ITC Vegas 2026 highlighted the key priorities the industry must pursue to continue creating value. The response from agents, including Mapfre, has been positive. The industry expects ambitious strategies focused on growth, AI, and new ways to reach consumers. Society wants to continue feeling protected and to maintain the trust that underpins these relationships. The human element will therefore remain essential, and at Mapfre, we will continue to prioritize it by meeting our customers where they are.
