AI Begins to Wield Significant Influence on Consumers’ Auto and Home Insurance Decisions
JD Power Finds 29% of Insureds Have Used AI to Research, Service Account or Shop for New Policies; 37% Changed Policy as a Result
AI usage split evenly between insurer-provided tools and third-party apps and websites for research and policy shopping tasks
42% of customers purchased a policy based on using AI-assisted tools to research products and coverage
Top reasons for avoiding AI include lack of familiarity, habit and lack of trust
TROY, Mich., August 27, 2026--Nearly one-third (29%) of auto and home insurance customers are using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to research products and coverage, service their accounts, understand coverage before submitting a claim or shop for a quote or new policy, according to a new JD Power study. The inaugural JD Power U.S. AI Insurance Experience Study,SM released today, evaluates AI use among auto and home insurance customers and finds that the technology is playing a significant role in policy selection and overall customer experience interacting with insurers.
"Just as we've seen with the internet and mobile apps, AI is rapidly becoming a critical conduit to key policy shopping, research and account management decisions among auto and home insurance customers," said Tony Soloman, director, insurance intelligence at JD Power. "This is a multidimensional challenge and opportunity for insurers. First, the tools they provide on their websites and mobile apps need to deliver a comprehensive, helpful user experience. In addition, insurers need to recognize that many customers are using third-party AI chatbots and apps to conduct research and compare policies, so it is critical to stay on top of how their data and content are being ingested and interpreted by the major large language models."
Following are some key findings of the inaugural study:
AI-assisted research and account management goes mainstream: Overall, 29% of auto and home insurance customers have used AI to research, service their account, analyze and better understand coverage prior to submitting a claim or shop or quote a new policy. Among those using AI for research, 34% are using tools provided by insurers on the insurer's website or app, and 33% are using third-party websites or apps. Similarly, when seeking quotes, 25% are using insurer-provided tools and 21% are using third party solutions. With account servicing tasks, however, 27% of customers use insurer-provided tools, while just 8% are using third-party websites and apps.
AI-provided guidance leads to decision-making: More than one-third (37%) of customers who used AI to research products or coverage options changed their policy based on the information they received. Among those who used AI to shop for a new policy, 42% purchased a policy as a result.
Comfort levels with AI vary based on task and demographics: Insurance customers are most comfortable using AI to manage their billing and calculate premiums, and they are least comfortable using AI to make changes to their current policy, process claims or manage customer service inquiries. Generational factors also play into overall customer comfort level using AI, with younger customers (Gen Z1 and Millennials) more likely to trust the technology for several account management- and research-related tasks.
Hurdles to AI adoption remain: Despite the widespread growth of AI use, a majority of insurance customers are still not using AI to research products and coverage (71%); request quotes (75%); process claims (87%); or service their accounts (70%). Across all functions, the most common reasons given for choosing not to use AI are lack of familiarity, habit and lack of trust in the results.