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Tech Update: WTW Launches Transformation Solution to Focus AI Implementation

Article 0 Comments Insurance broker WTW announced the launch of its AI Workforce Transformation solution which helps companies focus AI where it is expected to deliver productivity and growth gains through redesigned work, jobs and strong employee adoption. Addressing the imperative facing CEOs and boards to convert AI investments into productivity gains and competitive advantage, the solution is built on WTW’s extensive proprietary data on jobs, skills and work processes. The solution incorporates two of WTW’s AI-enabled diagnostic tools: Its WorkVue Agent provides clarity on the automation potential for all the jobs across an organization, while ChangeVue establishes the areas that are most ready for adoption, to pinpoint priority areas for AI implementation. The flexible AI Workforce Transformation solution allows multiple entry points to meet a range of client needs – identifying where AI will unlock the biggest productivity gains, redesigning jobs, aligning roles, skills and total rewards to accelerating enterprise-wide change adoption. Applying its WorkVue Agent to industry-wide job and skills information, WTW said it has uncovered powerful insights. For example, an analysis of 900 occupations highlights the scale and variability of potential automation across roles, including: 60-70% of tasks in highly structured roles like operations, administrative and clerical...

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US House Lawmakers Release Draft Bill to Prohibit State AI Rules

Article 0 Comments A bipartisan pair of U.S. House lawmakers released draft legislation on Thursday that would prohibit states from regulating the development of artificial intelligence models, a move praised by tech firms but criticized by consumer rights advocacy groups. The draft legislation, released by Democrat Lori Trahan and Republican Jay Obernolte, would bar states from laws “targeting artificial intelligence model development,” meaning states would not be allowed to pass laws requiring models undergo testing before AI firms release them to the public, according to the draft. But the draft also said it would not bar states from regulating how AI technology is used. It aims to create a “national framework that protects Americans, supports innovation, and ensures the U.S leads the world in shaping this technology,” the pair said in a joint statement. “We are releasing this draft to hear from stakeholders, experts, and the public so we can strengthen the legislation before it is formally introduced,” Obernolte said in a statement. Congress has struggled for years to pass legislation to address AI safety concerns. Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, criticized the bill, saying it would leave “oversight largely to a federal government that has repeatedly failed to...

Introducing the IBM Bob Premium Package for Z 0

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Introducing the IBM Bob Premium Package for Z

IBM is announcing a significant milestone in our strategy to help enterprises modernize mainframe applications, bringing new levels of efficiency, productivity and intelligence to the IBM Z application development lifecycle — By Michael Kwok, Vice President, IBM Bob; Canada Lab Director — IBM Z is a family of enterprise-grade mainframe computer servers designed by IBM. Known for their legendary reliability (the “Z” originally stands for “zero downtime”), they are the backbone of the global economy, processing roughly 70% of all financial transactions worldwide. These modern compute stacks are built for massive-scale, mission-critical operations where failure is not an option. — We are excited to introduce IBM Bob Premium Package for Z, which integrates and enhances the capabilities of IBM watsonx Code Assistant for Z to deliver advanced features for enterprise-scale mainframe applications. IBM Bob Premium Package for Z is currently available in private preview. AI-powered tool for enterprise developers Modern developers expect a cutting-edge, agentic integrated development environment (IDE) experience and teams working on IBM Z applications can experience that with IBM Bob. IBM Bob is an AI-powered development tool for enterprise developers that can plan, execute, validate and govern multi-step modernization tasks across the software development lifecycle (SDLC). It...

Liberty Mutual Insurance Launches First-of-its-Kind Carrier-Backed Conversational AI Quoting App in ChatGPT for Auto Insurance 0

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Liberty Mutual Insurance Launches First-of-its-Kind Carrier-Backed Conversational AI Quoting App in ChatGPT for Auto Insurance

App in ChatGPT allows users to get an accurate auto insurance quote in minutes Boston, MA (May 28, 2026) – Liberty Mutual Insurance, the seventh-largest auto insurer in the US, has launched a first-of-its-kind carrier-backed conversational AI auto insurance quoting application. The app allows ChatGPT users to obtain an auto insurance quote from Liberty Mutual in minutes through a conversational, chat-based interaction, rather than a traditional online form. Quotes are now available via the app in ChatGPT for drivers in seven states (Arizona, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri, New Mexico, Utah and Wisconsin), and Liberty Mutual plans to offer conversational AI quoting in more than 40 states by the end of the year. “We are excited to extend access to our products and provide additional platforms for customers to find great coverage at a great price. Consumers have more choice than ever in how they choose to shop, including emerging channels like conversational AI and large language model (LLM) platforms,” said Tyler Asher, Liberty Mutual Chief Distribution and Marketing Officer, US Retail Markets. “As this shopping process continues to evolve, it’s beneficial to customers that we meet them wherever they are, leveraging the newest technology to simplify the buying experience and deliver...

Hippo Announces AI Service Representative Hannah to Deliver Faster, Effortless 24/7 Customer Service 0

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Hippo Announces AI Service Representative Hannah to Deliver Faster, Effortless 24/7 Customer Service

Hannah Handles 100% of Inbound Service Calls and Achieved 97% Customer Satisfaction Since Launch San Jose, CA (May 28, 2026) – Hippo is pleased to announce it is scaling Hannah, its AI-powered service representative, the latest step in Hippo’s multi-year investment in technology to improve the customer experience, drive operational efficiency, and support profitable growth. So far in 2026, Hannah has handled more than 28,000 service calls, replacing interactive voice response (IVR) menus with a natural, conversational AI concierge that greets every Hippo customer, authenticates them, answers questions, and seamlessly transfers them to a licensed agent whenever necessary. “Hannah isn’t a chatbot, she’s a digital member of our service team,” said Kyle Ramsay, Hippo’s Chief Product and Artificial Intelligence Officer. “Built with Hippo’s modern APIs, real-time data, and the latest AI models, Hannah can serve a growing range of customer needs. Alongside Clara in claims, Hannah reflects our broader strategy to apply AI agents across the insurance lifecycle to efficiently deliver seamless customer experiences.” AI-Powered Service: Always On, Always Intelligent Hannah now triages 100% of inbound customer service calls, authenticates callers, and intelligently routes requests before a human agent is ever involved. Using natural language understanding, customers can speak conversationally...

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WTW Gets Approval to Operate Investment Business in Dubai Int’l Financial Centre

Article 0 Comments Insurance broker WTW announced it has received approval from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) for a license to operate as WTW Investments (DIFC) Ltd. within the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). WTW said the approval marks a significant milestone in the company’s strategic expansion across the Middle East and represents a fundamental shift in how the firm can engage with clients and prospects in the region. For the first time, WTW will be able to proactively arrange access to its full suite of regulated investment capabilities in and from DIFC – transitioning to a locally anchored, scalable platform with direct access to some of the world’s most dynamic and fast-growing investment markets. The DFSA license positions WTW to proactively offer investment advisory services and arrange access to fund solutions in and from DIFC, opening access to a diverse and expanding range of market segments. These include wealth management, family offices, end-of-service benefits and auto-enrolment – areas experiencing significant growth as the region’s financial landscape continues to mature and professionalize. The Middle East has been identified as a strategic growth priority for WTW, with the firm committed to deepening its investment in the region’s talent, infrastructure and...

Resilience Launches Cyber Risk Program for Private Equity, Powered by Arc 0

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Resilience Launches Cyber Risk Program for Private Equity, Powered by Arc

New offering gives private equity firms portfolio-level visibility into cyber risk, enabling CISOs and operating partners to manage aggregate exposure across investments from acquisition through exit  San Francisco, CA (June 3, 2026) – Today, leading cyber risk solutions company Resilience announced the launch of its Private Equity Cyber Risk Program, a new offering designed to help private equity (PE) firms manage cyber exposure across their portfolios. It connects Arc, Resilience’s cyber risk management platform for complex organizations, with bespoke insurance endorsements through carrier partners to address structural coverage gaps across the investment lifecycle. Private equity firms operate in a fundamentally different risk environment than traditional enterprises. Security leaders are responsible for dozens of portfolio companies, each with distinct systems, controls, and reporting structures. Some report directly to the PE firm while others sit beneath additional parent entities that further obscure oversight. As firms scale through acquisitions, divestitures, and shared infrastructure, that risk becomes increasingly concentrated and interconnected. Yet most still rely on fragmented, point-in-time assessments at the individual company level, with little to no regular flow of security data back to the firm. In a constantly evolving threat landscape, this visibility gap is where exposure compounds–the distance between what was...

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Texas Lifts Bans on CDLs for Temporary Agriculture Workers

Article 0 Comments The Texas Department of Public Safety on Monday lifted a restriction on commercial drivers licenses and permits for immigrants with temporary agriculture work visas and removed the Spanish language option for CDL tests following changes in federal requirements. In September, Texas halted commercial drivers licenses for many immigrants, including refugees, people with asylum and DACA recipients. The change on Monday will allow those with H-2A visas, designed for temporary agriculture workers, to again hold valid CDLs in Texas. Those eligible who have current CDLs may continue to use them until their expiration date, and those with expired licenses can file to renew them, according to a DPS press release. DPS indicated the shift was made in line with a new federal guideline from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published in mid-March, which permits H-2A workers to hold CDLs alongside H-2B and E-2 visa holders, which are temporary non-agricultural workers and treaty investors, respectively. Under the new federal guidelines, Texas has only been approved to grant H-2A visa holders commercial drivers licenses for now, the DPS release said. Eligibility for H-2B and E-2 visa holders in Texas “will be announced at a later date,” according to the...

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Ship Operators Urge Clear Rules to Return Hormuz to Normal

Article 0 Comments Shipping executives meeting in Athens on Monday said that any peace deal worked out between the United States and Iran would need to offer clear rules allowing vessels to resume normal business via the Strait of Hormuz. Shipowners and maritime industry officials met at a Capital Link conference and other events to begin Posidonia, a week-long biennial shipping exhibition. Below are selected quotes (in alphabetical order): ARSENIO DOMINGUEZ, SECRETARY GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANISATION (IMO) “There have been … recent announcements that there’s a possibility of a 60-day ceasefire. If that includes, of course, the Strait of Hormuz, and I can get guarantees from the countries that it is safe to start using the waterway, that’s where the evacuation framework immediately will come and kick in. That’s what we’re looking for, because the first objective is always to seafarers, to engage, so they can actually leave the conflict zone.” PANKAJ KHANNA, PRESIDENT, HEIDMAR MARITIME HOLDINGS CORP “What we need is obviously a framework, a rules regulation, whatever tells us exactly how we can go in and get out. So even if a peace deal was signed, that needs to be clarified and that we don’t know as yet....

Peak Construction Season Brings Increased Activity and Complex Risk Considerations Across Canada 0

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Peak Construction Season Brings Increased Activity and Complex Risk Considerations Across Canada

Toronto, ON (May 25, 2026) – As temperatures rise and projects accelerate, Canada’s construction sector is entering its busiest period of the year. Often referred to as “crane season,” the summer months typically see a surge in development activity across residential, commercial, and infrastructure projects, particularly in urban centres. “With tighter timelines, increased labour demand, and higher project values, this seasonal spike not only drives economic momentum but also introduces a more complex risk environment for contractors, developers, and project stakeholders”, mentioned Gary Hirst, CEO, CHES Special Risk. Seasonal Growth Meets Operational Pressure The summer construction period is characterized by accelerated project schedules and overlapping workstreams. Builders aim to maximize favourable weather conditions, resulting in increased site activity, longer work hours, and greater coordination between multiple trades. This heightened pace can amplify common construction risks, including: Equipment damage or breakdown during high‑usage periods Site congestion leading to accidents or third‑party liability exposures Material handling and storage challenges Delays or disruptions impacting project timelines and costs In this environment, both physical damage risks and liability exposures tend to become more pronounced. Specialty insurance providers with dedicated construction expertise play a key role during this period, supporting brokers with tailored underwriting approaches...