Insurance Times Awards 2026: Cowbell on approaching AI ‘holistically’ to understand changing risk

Why did you put yourselves forward for the category?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing both the risks businesses face and the way the insurance industry operates, making this an especially important time to recognise thoughtful innovation in the space.

We put ourselves forward because AI has become an integral part of how Cowbell approaches insurance, from supporting better decision-making and customer experiences to understanding emerging risks.

We are particularly proud of the work our teams have done to combine innovation with strong governance and human expertise and we welcomed the opportunity to share that work as part of the wider industry conversation.

What do you think makes your entry stand out and why should you win the award?

We believe our entry stands out because our approach to AI goes beyond applying the technology to individual tasks.

We are thinking about AI holistically – how it can support insurance professionals, improve experiences for brokers and policyholders, help us understand changing risk and ultimately contribute to better insurance outcomes.

Just as importantly, we have focused on ensuring that innovation is accompanied by transparency, governance and human judgement.

We believe that balance between technological progress and responsible implementation is essential as AI becomes an increasingly important part of insurance and the risks our industry is being asked to address.

What would winning this award mean to you and your firm?

Winning would be a meaningful recognition of the people across Cowbell who are helping us navigate one of the most significant technological shifts facing our industry.

It would also be encouraging to see this work recognised by Insurance Times and the wider insurance community, particularly as the market continues to explore what responsible and effective AI adoption should look like.

For Cowbell, the award would reinforce our commitment to continuing to innovate thoughtfully, share what we learn and contribute to the broader development of AI across insurance for the benefit of brokers, policyholders and the industry.