Are You Ready to Deal With Robots?

 

Attention adjusters and underwriters! The time is coming when claims will be handled by a robot.  If that isn’t scary enough, maybe it’s time to start worrying about your jobs.  According to a June 6, 2017 article in the Claims Journal entitled “Move Over Adjusters and Underwriters, the Bots are Coming”, robots are handling small claims in order to free up claims people for the more complex claims.  As far as jobs are concerned, the industry experts say there is no need to worry.  However secure jobs might be now, there is always that possibility that robots will do well enough to be implemented on a larger scale requiring a reduction in the human workforce.  We all know that reducing expenses means an increase in profit and that’s a pretty good incentive for corporate management to begin reducing the workforce.  The article also discusses using robots to handle auto claims.  Specifically, the “bot” would access information from vehicles equipped with electronic control units and download accident information as soon as an accident occurs.  Such a set up already threatens those that do accident reconstruction work.  With the implementation of smart building systems in homes and commercial buildings, any detection of a fault in a major system would be “sensed” and recorded.  So, where’s the incentive to hire a fire investigation company if the fire has already been determined to have been accidental?  All these scenarios might be speculative at this point but, with the speed at which technology changes and the rate at which it is being implemented, these scenarios might be coming sooner that anyone thinks.  Food for thought?