For as much noise as the insurance world has made about the transformative potential of artificial intelligence, the technology has yet to fully permeate much of the industry. The reality is that many insurance giants aren't quite sure yet how to best use AI to their advantage, while others have yet to experiment with it at all. Even those that are invested in AI-powered systems are typically using them for little more than fielding common policyholder questions and improving customer experience – important tasks to be sure, but not exactly a brave new world for healthcare providers. Yet as AI technology grows more sophisticated and widely accepted, its applications within the health insurance world are gradually evolving in lockstep. With the industry on the precipice of a new technological wave, here's a look at two use-cases for AI in health insurance that are starting to make headway.

The rumors continue to swirl about Amazon's entry into the insurance space. Its first step appears to be developing a UK-focused insurance comparison site, according to Reuters. Given Amazon's deep capabilities as a marketplace, and its consumer reach, such a move is a reminder that even the insurance sector is not immune to the power of the Amazon effect. Amazon is already in the home with Alexa and top of mind with Prime, so it's a natural extension of its reach designed to benefit consumers. A few years ago, Google similarly tested an insurance comparison site that failed.

Actuarial tables are a cornerstone of insurance and are a very basic form of machine learning. Take, for instance, mortality tables. These tables produce highly specific and shockingly accurate projections of how people born within a certain period will live. These projections don't just materialize out of thin air. They are formed and refined by millions of data points and real life examples inputted into the tables and then evaluated on an aggregate level.