Swiss Re CEO Andreas Berger says AI will overhaul how the reinsurance group operates, predicting productivity gains "such as we have not seen in decades" while defending a business partnership that has drawn accusations of enabling government surveillance.
Speaking to a Swiss newspaper, Berger said the company is "rethinking our company's core processes from the ground up" with the help of AI.
The most concrete example he offered involved construction insurance pricing. A workflow previously requiring 25 steps, 14 applications, and up to three weeks has been reduced to fewer than five applications, with pricing achievable within a single data productivity gain of up to 80%.
The technology Berger describes goes beyond conventional tools like chatbots. AI agents, as IBM defines them, are autonomous systems capable of executing multi-step tasks, making decisions, and interacting with external software with minimal human supervision.
Berger dismissed the assumption that efficiency gains translate to job cuts. "The time freed up for our employees can be used for their real work: handling more claims, closing new business and helping customers increase their resilience," he said.
The remarks come as Swiss Re operates from a position of unusual strength. The group posted a record net income of $4.8 billion in 2025, a 47% increase year on year per its annual report, with operations spanning roughly 70 offices worldwide.
The broader reinsurance industry, however, is moving slower. A February 2026 report from insurance services provider Patra found only 30% of AI initiatives across the sector advance beyond proof-of-concept, with research suggesting as many as 95% of firms have yet to see measurable returns. Firms that do scale AI outperform peers by three to five times on productivity metrics, Patra added.
Berger attributed much of the industry gap to data quality. "Without reliable data, AI mainly creates additional complexity, costs and frustration," he warned, pointing to fragmented IT systems as the underlying obstacle.
On cyber risk, he argued that AI-driven damages in worst-case scenarios are "so great that a single company cannot sustain them," adding that Swiss Re is in active discussions with the public sector on potential coverage expansions.
The sharpest exchange in the interview came when Berger addressed the company's partnership with US data analytics firm Palantir.
The Hill has reported the firm's software as central to immigration enforcement operations and efforts to build what critics describe as a searchable citizen database. Former employees, in an open letter covered by NPR, accused Palantir of abandoning its founding commitments to democratic values.
The controversy carries specific weight in Switzerland. The Swiss army previously declined to adopt Palantir's technology, citing concerns that sensitive data could reach US intelligence services – a pointed backdrop for a Zurich-based executive defending the relationship to a Swiss readership.
Berger said Swiss Re has "strict governance processes" governing its partner choices and that its Palantir use case is "guaranteed by clear rules." He then acknowledged the practical reality.
"If you find another supplier with comparable capabilities, let me know," he said.
