Insurable Interest Canadian Insurance Blog

Three Tactics CIOs Can Use to Deliberately Manage AI Value and Risk Stamford, CT (Oct. 19, 2026) – Despite the rapid risks introduced by AI, CIOs remain well-positioned to effectively manage AI governance and deliver business value, according to Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company. During the opening keynote of Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo, Gartner analysts told the audience of over 7,500 CIOs and IT executives that value and risk are interconnected, and the challenge for CIOs is to compound value faster than risk. “People are doing more with AI than ever before, and 58% of leaders said they are seeing some positive value from their AI initiatives, according to a Q2 2026 Gartner survey of over 1,000 functional leaders,” said Daryl Plummer, VP, Distinguished Analyst and Gartner Fellow. ”While many organizations are seeing pockets of AI success, they are struggling to consistently replicate and scale that value across the enterprise.” At the same time, AI risk continues to accelerate. CIOs and IT leaders report to Gartner that AI risk is growing faster than AI value in their organizations. “However, the value-potential is high. The new CIO imperative is to align value with risk and align safety with governance,”...

New research shows disconnect between the importance employees place on benefits decisions and how infrequently many engage with benefits outside enrollment season Findings highlight opportunity for employers to provide more year-round benefits education New York, NY (Oct. 14, 2026) – As open enrollment season approaches, a new survey from New York Life finds that employees are approaching workplace benefits more like consumers evaluating purchases than workers selecting employer-provided perks. The findings point to a disconnect between the importance employees place on benefits decisions and how infrequently many engage with voluntary benefits outside enrollment season. This creates an opportunity for employers to make benefits education more relevant and accessible throughout the year. Results indicate: Against a backdrop of financial pressure, seventy-one percent of workers closely evaluate whether voluntary benefits provide good value for their money, rising to 83 percent among Gen Z employees. Sixty-five percent say they have not used or explored voluntary benefit options outside the open enrollment period. Half of employees primarily think about benefits only during open enrollment. Just 15 percent think about benefits throughout the year. The findings are especially relevant amid continued household financial pressure: 54 percent cite inflation and the cost of living as a...

New York, NY (Oct. 14, 2026) – Employers face a growing workforce risk as employees struggle to understand which skills they need and how to develop them quickly enough to keep pace with changing work, according to WTW’s latest EX Intelligent report. The proportion of employees who say their manager helps develop their abilities has shifted from 84% to 78% over the past four years, highlighting the need to give managers more support for development conversations. At the same time, only about 30% of organizations have established processes for identifying, assessing and tracking workforce skills. This mismatch risks creating “capability anxiety”: uncertainty among employees about whether their skills will remain relevant, what capabilities will matter most and where they should focus their development. Employees understand that work is changing. 45% say AI is already important to their daily job and another 22% say it will fundamentally change their work in the future. The pressure point is not change itself, but rather the uncertainty of whether they can keep up, what skills matter most and where to focus next. Jill Havely, Global Employee Experience Leader at WTW, said: “Employees recognize that work is evolving, but many lack clarity on what skills...

Seattle, WA (Oct. 15, 2026) – As enterprises worldwide pour billions into artificial intelligence, a stark reality has emerged: few AI investments deliver meaningful business results. Kotter is pleased to announce the AI Value Accelerator, a rapid, unified engagement toolset designed to break leadership teams out of the cycle of siloed AI activity and drive tangible, bottom-line value. “The market is caught in a cycle of AI-related frenetic activity which is predominantly not creating value, with many organizations struggling to move beyond ‘check the box’ adoption,” said Kathy Gersch, Kotter’s Chief Executive Officer. “Furthermore, this rapid technology deployment triggers a range of survive responses from fear of job displacement to burnout and loss of control. Our AI Value Accelerator inverts the model. We must stop trying to build isolated ‘AI strategies’ and instead define exactly how AI will accelerate core business strategy.” Designed for teams and leaders caught in a cycle of AI activity without purpose or a clear hypothesis for accelerating business strategy and driving value, Kotter’s AI Value Accelerator forces a critical paradigm shift. A Rapid Engagement Focused on Deliverables The AI Value Accelerator serves as a critical front-end product that evaluates an organization’s starting line and aligns...

Marketers Should Prepare for More Fragmented Discovery Journeys Stamford, CT (Oct. 14, 2026) – More than one-third, or 34%, of U.S. consumers report being very or extremely willing to use Gen AI-backed tools or chatbots for holiday gift recommendations, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company. A Gartner survey of 1,004 US consumers conducted in August 2026 found that AI is emerging as a potential avenue for shopping inspiration, though traditional discovery and purchase channels remain dominant. “AI is beginning to establish a role in the holiday shopping journey, but it is not replacing the channels consumers already use,” said Emily Weiss, Sr Principal Analyst in the Gartner Marketing practice. “Consumers who use AI for holiday shopping are also consulting a wider range of other sources, meaning marketers should prepare for more fragmented discovery journeys.” AI Expands, Rather Than Replaces, Holiday Shopping Discovery Retailer websites, traditional internet searches, and friends’ and family wishlists remain the most common sources of holiday shopping inspiration. In-store shopping and Amazon are also expected to remain the leading purchase channels, with 77% of consumers planning to shop in stores and 75% planning to shop on Amazon. Consumers who currently use...