As insurers around the world race to define their artificial intelligence strategies, Manulife’s Matt Gabriel (pictured) believes one theme will separate leaders from followers: personalization.
“Personalization is the king,” Gabriel told Insurance Business. “We’re going to see a lot more personalization happening – whether that’s in the experiences people see, the way we communicate with customers, or the way we meet them where they are,” he added.
Gabriel said Manulife’s expanding digital tools and use of AI insights are allowing the company to shift from reactive customer service toward more customized engagement. Across marketing and post-sale interactions, the focus is on identifying each customer’s context and intent and tailoring communication to match, he said.
“Whether that’s in the purchase process or the customer service realm, the growth of our digital capabilities – along with AI backing those up – will allow us to offer this personalized path,” he said. “Marketing will become much more personalized on a number of different fronts.”
This focus on personalization is already taking shape across Manulife’s markets, particularly in Asia, where Gabriel said the company has rolled out AI-enabled tools to help sales teams deliver targeted and relevant messages to individual customers. Initially demonstrated during an Investor Day presentation, the system has since expanded beyond Asia to other regions – with plans for global integration within the next year.
Manulife’s broader AI journey dates back nearly a decade. The company’s first dedicated AI teams were formed as early as 2015, experimenting with machine learning tools to enhance underwriting, streamline compliance processes, and support its distribution and sales teams with more targeted offerings. Those early projects helped build the foundation for today’s more advanced, enterprise-level initiatives.
In practical terms, the company is already using AI to boost operational efficiency across a range of areas – from translation and regulatory compliance tools to contact centre systems designed to help agents access and verify complex policy information in real time. Gabriel said these efforts are improving both customer response times and employee productivity, while setting the stage for deeper integration of generative AI capabilities across the organization.
Manulife’s commitment to scaling personalization through AI is also reflected in its broader enterprise strategy. In a press release issued earlier this year, the company announced that 100 percent of its global workforce now has access to generative AI tools, with more than 75 percent actively engaged in using them.
According to the announcement, this enterprise-wide rollout – which includes ChatMFC, Manulife’s proprietary generative AI assistant – is part of a multibillion-dollar investment in digital transformation designed to make AI a core component of everyday operations. The initiative aims to “democratize” AI across teams and geographies, embedding it directly into workflows rather than keeping it confined to technical units.
Jodie Wallis, Manulife’s global chief analytics officer, said in the release that the company’s approach is about giving employees hands-on access to AI so they can “work smarter, move faster, and make a bigger impact.” She noted that Manulife has “doubled its AI-driven impact” over the past year by expanding use cases, strengthening data platforms, and deepening responsible AI governance.
To date, the insurer has deployed more than 35 generative AI use cases across Canada, the US, and Asia, with an additional 70 planned by the end of 2025. The company’s global AI team – roughly 200 data scientists and machine-learning engineers – continues to identify and scale applications that support both customer experience and internal efficiency.
Manulife’s leadership also highlighted that AI is being embedded in functions ranging from real-time translation to sales enablement and customer service.
The insurer expects its digital and AI initiatives to deliver a threefold return on investment through 2027, after realizing more than $600 million in benefits in 2024.
Industry observers say that this approach reflects a broader trend across the insurance sector, where large carriers are moving from pilot projects to company-wide AI integration. The challenge now, analysts note, is turning personalization into measurable business results – improving retention, engagement, and cross-selling without compromising privacy or regulatory compliance.
