Insurance professionals, women most at risk from AI

As artificial intelligence continues to snowball through the financial services sector, a new study suggests that measuring which jobs are most exposed to the technology offers an incomplete picture of just who is most at risk.

According to a new report published by Brookings titled "Measuring US workers' capacity to adapt to Al-driven job displacement" , AI exposure alone does not account for workers' varied ability to adjust to a changing labor market. Instead, workforce planners and human resources directors must begin measuring adaptive capacity alongside AI exposure to truly understand the threat of automation.

For leaders within the Canadian insurance sector - a heavily digitized industry reliant on both complex underwriting and routine administrative processing – the findings present a nuanced reality. On average, highly AI-exposed workers appear well-equipped to handle job transitions relative to the rest of the workforce.

However, the data reveals a critical and pressing vulnerability: 6.1 million workers in the US still face both high exposure and low adaptive capacity.

While the research focuses on the US labour force, the structural parallels to the Canadian market are undeniable. For domestic brokerages and carriers, adaptability analysis can help reveal who may be most in need of support to weather AI-driven job transitions. Often, it is the administrative staff, junior sales agents, and routine claims processors who fall into this high-risk category, lacking the inherent financial buffers or mobility of their executive or technical peers.

The report does offer a note of caution, emphasizing that significant uncertainty surrounds the question of how AI will impact labor markets. Furthermore, the researchers point out that occupation-level measures cannot tell the whole story, meaning companies must look deeper into the individual circumstances and transitional resources available to their employees.

As industry executives prepare to gather and debate the future of the sector at major B2B events - such as InsuranceFest on the Santa Monica pier in July 2026 - the conversation must shift. Rather than simply identifying which roles are most exposed to generative AI, corporate leaders must actively build support systems for the personnel who lack the capacity to navigate these technological transitions alone.

Who is most at risk?

According to the report's expanded data, here are the specific occupations highlighted as being the most highly vulnerable, along with their low adaptive capacity scores:

• Office clerks, general (22% adaptive capacity)
• Medical secretaries and administrative assistants (23% adaptive capacity)
• Insurance sales agents (24% adaptive capacity)
• Interpreters and translators (29% adaptive capacity)

Conversely, roles like software developers, financial managers, and lawyers also have high AI exposure, but boast adaptive capacity scores in the 96% to 97% range because those workers generally have the resources, networks, and advanced skills to successfully weather the transition.

So what can we do to lessen the impact?

Here is how forward-thinking brokerages can build internal mobility pathways to transition vulnerable sales agents into high-value, AI-proof roles:

1. Pivot from quoting to complex risk advisory. AI is exceptional at crunching numbers, aggregating data, and generating standard policy options. What it entirely lacks is empathy, nuance, and the ability to negotiate complex, multi-line risk during a crisis. The first step in internal mobility is shifting your agents away from high-volume transactional sales. Upskill them in complex commercial lines, specialty risk, or high-net-worth advisory. Train your people to interpret the AI's output, contextualize it for the client, and build the deep relationships that algorithms cannot replicate.
2. Establish 'bridge' roles. You cannot expect an agent to jump from basic data processing to a senior advisory role overnight. Create transitional bridge roles - such as 'client success associate' or 'Risk Analyst Trainee’-that allow administrative and sales staff to shadow your senior brokers. This provides a secure, structured environment to develop the high-level critical thinking, business acumen, and negotiation skills required for the future of the industry.
3. Audit and subsidize adaptive capacity. Low adaptive capacity often stems from a lack of financial buffer to take time off for retraining, or a lack of access to elite educational networks. Brokerages must step in to close this gap. Offer fully subsidized, on-the-clock training for advanced industry certifications. When you invest in your team's adaptive capacity, you transform a vulnerable worker into a fiercely loyal, highly skilled asset.