QBE is looking to reap more benefits from artificial intelligence after introducing it to assist underwriting on a limited scale, group CEO Andrew Horton says.

“We’ve used it in some of our underwriting areas to aid the underwriter in deciding on a risk more quickly,” he told insuranceNEWS.com.au after this month’s half-year results. “We haven’t done a lot and our view is, ‘How do we actually scale that?’ ”

The company is considering wider use of the technology in underwriting and potentially repeating the process on the claims side.

Mr Horton says the technology modernisation program is progressing and will make it easier for brokers to deal with the insurer, and will allow pricing to be more responsive to claims trends.

CFO Inder Singh told the results briefing the program is aimed at making the organisation more efficient and supporting growth.

“The whole objective of the modernisation program is to continue to make the business more competitive, so make sure that we’re investing in connectivity with brokers and making sure we’re being responsive in terms of the time it’s taking us on both underwriting and claims,” he said.

“A lot of the modernisation work is very much focused around improving our customer propositions and making the business more competitive.”