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How an insurance underwriter can use AI, task by task

O*NET 13-2053.00: Insurance UnderwritersMedian pay $81,370/year (BLS, May 2025)7 tasksJob Zone 4: Considerable preparation

Review individual applications for insurance to evaluate degree of risk involved and determine acceptance of applications.

Your job title Type your own title and every prompt on this page updates to match. Also called: Account Underwriter, Automobile and Property Underwriter, Commercial Lines Underwriter, Health Underwriter, Life Underwriter, Personal Lines Underwriter, Underwriter, Underwriting Consultant.

Where AI fits in this job

AI-ready 13%AI-assist 50%Stays human 36%

Share of the job's tasks, weighted by how important and how frequent each task is (O*NET ratings). 1 AI-ready, 3 AI-assist and 3 human-led tasks out of 7. This measures where AI can help, not whether the job will disappear.

Information & paperwork

Thinking & planning

People & communication

Leading & teaching

Hands-on & physical

Shape of the job: importance of each kind of work activity (O*NET, 1 to 5).

🗓 Start here on Monday

The most frequent, most important tasks where AI can help right away.

Examine documents to determine degree of risk from factors such as applicant health, financial standing and value, and condition of property.Crunch the numbers · Several times a day
Write to field representatives, medical personnel, or others to obtain further information, quote rates, or explain company underwriting policies.Explain it clearly · Several times a day
Evaluate possibility of losses due to catastrophe or excessive insurance.Crunch the numbers · Daily

💪 Lean into these

Core tasks that stay human. These skills get more valuable as the routine work gets automated.

Decline excessive risks.Make the call · Daily
Decrease value of policy when risk is substandard and specify applicable endorsements or apply rating to ensure safe, profitable distribution of risks, using reference materials.Make the call · Daily
Authorize reinsurance of policy when risk is high.Make the call · Monthly

Skills to build & where you could move ↓

AI can draft these 1

AI produces a usable first pass. You review it, fix it and own it.

Review company records to determine amount of insurance in force on single risk or group of closely related risks.

Daily

AI is a tireless first-pass checker.

Show prompt & steps

AI is a tireless proofreader. It catches inconsistencies, missing fields and errors across documents and data, so your review time goes on what matters.

Ready-to-use prompt

I work as an insurance underwriter. Part of my job is to review company records to determine amount of insurance in force on single risk or group of closely related risks.

Context: We use IBM FileNet Content Manager and Consilience Software Maven Insurance Automation Suite; the work draws on sales and marketing, customer and personal service and mathematics.
Records: [paste claim, title or file data, private details removed]
What they must match: [source documents, rules]

Compare item by item and list discrepancies, missing items and next steps. Make a table: requirement, met / not met / unclear, and the exact evidence.

10-minute exercise: Record accuracy check

Step 1Pick a real example: the next time you review company records to determine amount of insurance (today).

Step 2Fill in [Records] and [What they must match] with the real details, then run the prompt.

Step 3Confirm each discrepancy in the source documents.

AI can miss things and sound sure about it. Use it to catch extra problems, not as the final check.

Importance 4.0/5 · core task · O*NET work activity: Verify accuracy of records..

AI can help you prep these 3

AI speeds up the prep, drafting or thinking. The core of the task is still yours.

Examine documents to determine degree of risk from factors such as applicant health, financial standing and value, and condition of property.

Several times a day

AI does the arithmetic and suggests what to look at; the conclusions are yours.

📊 Real AI use (Anthropic Economic Index, Apr 2026 to May 2026): AI completed the task directly in 67% of those conversations; the rest were back-and-forth with the person.

Show prompt & steps

AI can do the arithmetic, build the spreadsheet formula and suggest what to look at. Deciding what the numbers mean for your situation is still you.

Ready-to-use prompt

I work as an insurance underwriter. Part of my job is to examine documents to determine degree of risk from factors such as applicant health, financial standing and value, and condition of property.

Context: We use Delphi Technology and Fannie Mae Desktop Underwriter; the work draws on sales and marketing, customer and personal service and mathematics.
Client situation: [no names]
Figures: [income, expenses, debts, assets]

Summarize financial health, ratios, and options. Show formulas. Show your working step by step and give spreadsheet formulas so I can reproduce the numbers.

10-minute exercise: Client financial snapshot

Step 1Pick a real example: the next time you examine documents to determine degree of risk from factors. Leave out names and identifying details.

Step 2Fill in [Client situation] and [Figures] with the real details, then run the prompt.

Step 3Recompute the most important number yourself before you trust the rest. Recompute every total yourself.

AI makes arithmetic mistakes. Recompute anything that matters with a spreadsheet formula.

Double-check every number. AI can make arithmetic and rounding mistakes.

Importance 4.5/5 · core task · O*NET work activity: Assess financial status of clients.. Also involves: Analyze health-related data..

Write to field representatives, medical personnel, or others to obtain further information, quote rates, or explain company underwriting policies.

Several times a day

AI helps you prepare clearer wording and likely questions.

Show prompt & steps

Use AI to prepare: simpler wording, analogies, likely questions and a one-page handout. The conversation itself is yours.

Ready-to-use prompt

I work as an insurance underwriter. Part of my job is to write to field representatives, medical personnel, or others to obtain further information, quote rates, or explain company underwriting policies.

Context: We use Fiserv Advanced Underwriting; the work draws on sales and marketing, customer and personal service and mathematics.
Rules or regulations: [paste]
Who needs to understand: [customers, employers, individuals]

Write a plain-language version, examples and common questions. Use plain language, one everyday analogy, and the questions people are most likely to ask with short answers.

10-minute exercise: Explain the rules

Step 1Pick a real example: the next time you write to field representatives, medical personnel and others. Leave out names and identifying details.

Step 2Fill in [Rules or regulations] and [Who needs to understand] with the real details, then run the prompt.

Step 3Check it doesn't change the meaning of the rules.

Rules, prices and policies change. Make sure AI is working from your current official version.

Importance 4.3/5 · core task · O*NET work activity: Explain regulations, policies, or procedures..

Evaluate possibility of losses due to catastrophe or excessive insurance.

Daily

AI does the arithmetic and suggests what to look at; the conclusions are yours.

Show prompt & steps

AI can do the arithmetic, build the spreadsheet formula and suggest what to look at. Deciding what the numbers mean for your situation is still you.

Ready-to-use prompt

I work as an insurance underwriter. Part of my job is to evaluate possibility of losses due to catastrophe or excessive insurance.

Context: We use Delphi Technology and Fannie Mae Desktop Underwriter; the work draws on sales and marketing, customer and personal service and mathematics.
Operation or plan: [describe]
Known risks: [list]

Build a risk register with likelihood, impact and mitigation. Show your working step by step and give spreadsheet formulas so I can reproduce the numbers.

10-minute exercise: Business risk assessment

Step 1Pick a real example: the next time you evaluate possibility of losses due (today).

Step 2Fill in [Operation or plan] and [Known risks] with the real details, then run the prompt.

Step 3Recompute the most important number yourself before you trust the rest.

AI makes arithmetic mistakes. Recompute anything that matters with a spreadsheet formula.

Importance 4.2/5 · core task · O*NET work activity: Assess risks to business operations..

These stay human 3

They need your hands, your presence or your accountable judgment. Lean into them: they get more valuable as routine work is automated.

📏 Measured in this job (O*NET work context): Contact with others: contact with others most of the time · Face-to-face discussions: once a week or more but not every day · Frequency of decisions: once a week or more but not every day · Impact of decisions: important results

Decline excessive risks.

Daily

Your accountable call. Use AI as a sounding board beforehand.

Show prep prompt & steps

Where AI still helps: Use AI as a sounding board before you decide. Ask it to argue the other side, list what you might be overlooking, or organize the evidence.

Prep prompt

I work as an insurance underwriter. Part of my job is to decline excessive risks.

Context: The work draws on sales and marketing, customer and personal service and mathematics.
Request: [invoice, return, risk]
Policy limits: [authority, rules]

Summarize the request against policy and risks so I can decide. Argue the strongest case against my current view and list what extra information would change the decision. I make the final call.

10-minute exercise: Financial authorization check

Step 1Pick a real example: the next time you decline excessive risks (today).

Step 2Fill in [Request] and [Policy limits] with the real details, then run the prompt.

Step 3Make the call yourself, then note whether anything it raised changed your mind.

Importance 4.4/5 · core task · O*NET work activity: Authorize financial actions..

Decrease value of policy when risk is substandard and specify applicable endorsements or apply rating to ensure safe, profitable distribution of risks, using reference materials.

Daily

Your accountable call. Use AI as a sounding board beforehand.

Show prep prompt & steps

Where AI still helps: Use AI as a sounding board before you decide. Ask it to argue the other side, list what you might be overlooking, or organize the evidence.

Prep prompt

I work as an insurance underwriter. Part of my job is to decrease value of policy when risk is substandard and specify applicable endorsements or apply rating to ensure safe, profitable distribution of risks, using reference materials.

Context: The work draws on sales and marketing, customer and personal service and mathematics.
Request: [invoice, return, risk]
Policy limits: [authority, rules]

Summarize the request against policy and risks so I can decide. Argue the strongest case against my current view and list what extra information would change the decision. I make the final call.

10-minute exercise: Financial authorization check

Step 1Pick a real example: the next time you decrease value of policy (today).

Step 2Fill in [Request] and [Policy limits] with the real details, then run the prompt.

Step 3Make the call yourself, then note whether anything it raised changed your mind.

Importance 4.0/5 · core task · O*NET work activity: Authorize financial actions..

Authorize reinsurance of policy when risk is high.

Monthly

Your accountable call. Use AI as a sounding board beforehand.

Show prep prompt & steps

Where AI still helps: Use AI as a sounding board before you decide. Ask it to argue the other side, list what you might be overlooking, or organize the evidence.

Prep prompt

I work as an insurance underwriter. Part of my job is to authorize reinsurance of policy when risk is high.

Context: The work draws on sales and marketing, customer and personal service and mathematics.
Request: [invoice, return, risk]
Policy limits: [authority, rules]

Summarize the request against policy and risks so I can decide. Argue the strongest case against my current view and list what extra information would change the decision. I make the final call.

10-minute exercise: Financial authorization check

Step 1Pick a real example: the next time you authorize reinsurance of policy.

Step 2Fill in [Request] and [Policy limits] with the real details, then run the prompt.

Step 3Make the call yourself, then note whether anything it raised changed your mind.

Importance 3.9/5 · core task · O*NET work activity: Authorize financial actions..

Get the full prompt pack for Insurance Underwriters

Every task, prompt and 10-minute exercise on this page in one PDF, formatted to print or keep on your desktop. Free.

Your next moves

Skills to build

From O*NET's ratings of how important each skill is in this job, matched to which part of the work it supports.

Stays human Deepen these

They power the human-led work, which is the part of the job AI can't take over.

Active Listeningimportance 3.8/5
Used in: Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Critical Thinkingimportance 3.8/5
Used in: Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.5/5
Used in: Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Active Learningimportance 3.1/5
Used in: Making Decisions and Solving Problems

With AI Use these to work with AI

When AI does the first draft, these are the skills you use to brief it and check what comes back.

Reading Comprehensionimportance 3.8/5
Used in: Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
Writingimportance 3.8/5
Used in: Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
Speakingimportance 3.6/5
Used in: Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
Monitoringimportance 3.0/5
Used in: Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People

Where you could move

Related jobs from O*NET with the closest skill profile, favouring ones where more of the work stays human. No step down in preparation.

Personal Financial Advisors18% human-led · Same preparation · $105,070/yr · usually bachelor's degree
Skills to build: Service Orientation, Mathematics, Persuasion
Credit Analysts2% human-led · Same preparation · $83,510/yr · usually bachelor's degree
Skills to build: Mathematics
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents2% human-led · Same preparation · $78,660/yr · usually bachelor's degree
Skills to build: Management of Financial Resources, Persuasion, Monitoring
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists5% human-led · Same preparation · $78,760/yr
Skills to build: Reading Comprehension, Systems Evaluation, Monitoring

New tasks appearing in this job

O*NET has started tracking 1 new or updated task here: 0 AI-ready, 1 AI-assist, 0 stays human. They have no worker ratings yet, so they aren't counted in the bar above.

Answer agents' questions about insurance coverage.

New in O*NET

AI builds you an answer bank; exceptions and the human touch are yours.

Show prompt & steps

Build a personal answer bank with AI for the questions you get every day. In the moment, the human touch and the judgment about exceptions are yours.

Ready-to-use prompt

I work as an insurance underwriter. Part of my job is to answer agents' questions about insurance coverage.

Context: We use Consilience Software Maven Insurance Automation Suite and Fair Isaac Enterprise Decision Management for Insurance; the work draws on sales and marketing, customer and personal service and mathematics.
Product or service: [insurance, publication]
Questions: [list]

Write clear answers. Keep answers to 2-3 sentences and flag any that depend on the situation.

10-minute exercise: Product question answers

Step 1Pick a real example: the next time you answer agents' questions about insurance coverage.

Step 2Fill in [Product or service] and [Questions] with the real details, then run the prompt.

Step 3Save the answers you'd actually use and tweak each one the first time you send it.

Don't paste customers' personal details into AI tools. Describe the situation instead.

New O*NET task (08/2018). O*NET hasn't linked it to work activities yet, so its label comes from similar tasks, such as “Answer students' questions.” (Substitute Teachers, Short-Term), and was checked by hand. O*NET work activity: Answer customer questions about goods or services.. Also involves: Provide information to coworkers.; Teach classes in area of specialization..

Getting into this job

Bachelor's degree is most common (70% of workers)

High school or less 10%
Certificate or some college 7%
Associate's 10%
Bachelor's 73%

On-the-job training: 6–12 months
Related experience: 1–2 years

What workers in this job report, from O*NET surveys (typical values).

Software in this job

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