Insurance Customers Need to Get Used to Talking to Machines

Frustrated with automated answering machines before you finally get to speak with a customer service representative? When it comes to insurance, you'll just as likely end up dealing with a robot as a human within three years, according to a survey by Accenture Plc. About two-thirds of insurers already use artificial intelligence-based "virtual assistants," the consulting firm said in the report, which was published on Wednesday. Of the executives who took part in the survey, 85 percent said they plan to invest "significantly" in AI in the next three years. "It's coming pretty quickly," John Cusano, global head of Accenture's insurance practice, said in a telephone interview.