IAG is an early launch partner for OpenAI Presence and plans to use the voice technology to answer calls from customers wanting to lodge claims.

The insurer says the AI agent tool will help manage surge events such as natural disasters, reducing waiting times for customers and the strain on front-line teams.

IAG is the first Australian business to use Presence, and plans to roll it out in the first half of next year.

It says the go-to-market period will be relatively short because Presence is already successfully in use at US insurer Travelers, where it guides motor claim submissions, provides policy information, answers questions and keeps customers updated.

Other early customers are bank BBVA Mexico and Japan’s SoftBank Corp.

IAG says the voice agent will support a more resilient and efficient customer service model, enabling support to be scaled during peak demand periods.

“Customers will be clearly informed when they are interacting with an AI-enabled service and will have the option to speak with a human representative if they prefer,” an IAG spokesperson told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“IAG will always be transparent about where AI is used and when.”

OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, says Presence’s AI agent can use IAG systems, undertake approved actions and escalate to people when needed. It pairs “model reasoning with policies, guardrails and escalation rules that verify accuracy and performance.

“Each deployment starts with a specific job, such as supporting insurance claims ... The agent receives only the knowledge and system access required for that job. The company sets the policies: what the agent can do, when it needs approval and when a person should take over.”

Presence resolves 75% of inbound issues without human assistance, it says.

OpenAI’s Satya Tammareddy said: “We look forward to working with IAG to explore how customer agents can help resolve issues faster, expand service coverage and deliver more consistent experiences, while reducing the operational burden on front-line teams.”

IAG CEO of retail insurance Julie Batch says the system “represents the next step in our AI journey, enhancing the capabilities already embedded across our business.

“We are excited to partner with OpenAI, as it will provide our people with extra support to help them deliver higher-value service to customers.”