Artificial Intelligence (AI) is beginning to wield significant influence on the way people decide on their auto and home insurance, according to a new, first-of-its-kind JD Power study.
The inaugural JD Power 2026 U.S. AI Insurance Experience Study finds that nearly a third, 29 percent, of auto and home insurance customers are using AI tools in a variety of ways: to research products and coverage, service their accounts, understand coverage before submitting a claim or shop for a quote or new policy.
The study evaluates AI use among auto and home insurance customers and finds that the technology is playing a significant role in policy selection and overall customer experience interacting with insurers.
“Just as we’ve seen with the internet and mobile apps, AI is rapidly becoming a critical conduit to key policy shopping, research and account management decisions among auto and home insurance customers,” said Tony Soloman, director, insurance intelligence at JD Power. “This is a multidimensional challenge and opportunity for insurers. First, the tools they provide on their websites and mobile apps need to deliver a comprehensive, helpful user experience.
In addition, insurers need to recognize that many customers are using third-party AI chatbots and apps to conduct research and compare policies, so it is critical to stay on top of how their data and content are being ingested and interpreted by the major large language models.”
Following are some key findings of the inaugural study:
- AI-assisted research and account management goes mainstream: JD Power says overall, 29% of auto and home insurance customers have used AI to research, service their account, analyze and better understand coverage prior to submitting a claim or shop or quote a new policy. Among those using AI for research, 34% are using tools provided by insurers on the insurer’s website or app, and 33% are using third-party websites or apps. Similarly, when seeking quotes, 25% are using insurer-provided tools and 21% are using third party solutions. With account servicing tasks, however, 27% of customers use insurer-provided tools, while just 8% are using third-party websites and apps.
- AI-provided guidance leads to decision-making: More than one-third (37%) of customers who used AI to research products or coverage options changed their policy based on the information they received, according to the study. Among those who used AI to shop for a new policy, 42% purchased a policy as a result.
- Comfort levels with AI vary based on task and demographics: The study also found that insurance customers are most comfortable using AI to manage their billing and calculate premiums. On the flip side, they’re least comfortable using AI to make changes to their current policy, process claims or manage customer service inquiries. Generational factors also factor into overall customer comfort level using AI. JD Power says younger customers (Gen Z and Millennials) are more likely to trust the technology for several account management- and research-related tasks.
- Hurdles to AI adoption remain: JD Power says despite the widespread growth of AI use, a majority of insurance customers are still not using AI to research products and coverage (71%); request quotes (75%); process claims (87%); or service their accounts (70%). Across all functions, the most common reasons given for choosing not to use AI are lack of familiarity, habit and lack of trust in the results.
“It’s still relatively early in the evolution of insurance-specific AI tools developed by insurers to help their customers understand complex concepts, manage their accounts and compare coverage options, but these tools are on their way to becoming some of the most important investments insurers will make during the next several years,” said Eric McCready, director of digital solutions at JD Power. “Customers are actively using these tools and comparing results with widely available third-party tools and making big decisions based on the results. In many ways, the future of the auto and home insurance customer experience will be dictated by how well insurers execute their AI offerings.”
About the Study
The U.S. AI Insurance Experience Study measures usage of AI among auto and home insurance customers who have interacted with the technology via their insurance carrier, third-party AI tools or third-party insurance aggregators. The inaugural study this year is based on 8,352 customer evaluations across 24 insurance brands and eight third-party AI tools and was fielded from June through July 2026.
Jerry Reynolds is the host of The Car Pro Show, president of the Car Pro Radio Network, and is heard locally on WBAP and KRLD. A former Ford dealer, he now helps consumers navigate car buying and ownership. Read more at CarPro.com.
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