Businesses across the globe are discovering the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI). Sompo, one of the leading insurance holding companies in Japan, recognized early on that AI would play a critical role in its data-intensive industry, so it has been experimenting with a variety of advanced AI technologies since 2015. It has already deployed AI in some areas, where it is delivering considerable value.
Among Sompo's AI endeavors are experiments that use automated machine learning to predict the onset of heart disease and disorders such as dementia. The company is also working on improving data-science productivity with automated machine learning; automating threat detection in cybersecurity; applying deep-learning algorithms for image-based cost assessment in automobile collision repair; and exploring applications for nursing-home care and patient safety.
Several AI-based systems already in operation include those for underwriting credit insurance, and applying natural language processing to customer interaction in call centers. AI is proving powerful in Sompo's business operations, even where skilled employees engage. The company has further established a Data Science Bootcamp to provide employee training in big data and AI—ensuring that the human talent at the company's heart is poised for success in the AI era.