Digitalisation and cyber

Artificial intelligence and big data will play a central role in the insurance industry in future, whether in product design, underwriting, claims management, or in internal accounting processes. Liability issues are changing through the use of AI in insured products and services, for example with autonomous driving or in the field of medicine. Ethical principles are essential when using new data-based algorithms in order to protect the rights of our clients. Under the guiding principle of “Responsible Artificial Intelligence”, Munich Re is currently devising a strategy based on the four “ethics guidelines for trustworthy AI”. 

Principles of “ethics guidelines for trustworthy AI”

• Respect for human autonomy
• Prevention of harm
• Fairness
• Explicability

From these principles, Munich Re has derived a definition of the requirements for responsible use of AI in its own activities.

Empowering employees through training is the basis for successful and responsible digitalisation. In order to build our competitiveness and efficiency we are actively engaged in the digital transformation of our own value chain, which has significant implications for our employees in their daily work. As an employer, we act with particular caution and responsibility to support our employees in this transformation process. Digital technology is transforming the workplace, especially at companies that are highly data- and knowledge-driven, such as Munich Re. Additionally, in the course of digitalisation, the volume of available data has increased significantly. This paves the way for innovative business models and numerous new fields of application, such as AI-based loss identification and the analysis of sensor data. At the same time, data analysis is becoming increasingly complex, requiring ongoing training of experts, along with a cross-sector transfer of knowledge. This is the only way to compete successfully in the key fields of digitalisation application.

In order to support the digital readiness of our employees we have established a learning culture that focuses on Munich Re’s digital priorities. We also provide target group-specific training for our developers, users and managers through, for example, our LinkedIn Learning, data analytics curriculum, and Cyber Expert Pool. The central, advanced training program on digitalisation for all employees in reinsurance is the “Digital School”. A wide variety of learning content and formats are offered on the platform, all of which enable self-initiated digital knowledge development. Munich Re places special emphasis on the competent handling of data and algorithms and, as a result, offers a global training initiative: a data analytics curriculum available to reinsurance employees in the form of a multi-level digital qualification.