Actual intelligence is what benefit brokers and consultants use when they discuss benefit program design with employers, or when enrollers talk with employees about their needs. (Photo: Shutterstock)
When I was a kid, I was the type who took apart clocks to figure out what made them tick. I put them back together as well (most of the time). In today's world, figuring out what makes things tick is a bit different. Many devices have substituted digital impulses for gears and cogs. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of those things. I have a couple of insights for benefit professionals as we consider artificial intelligence in our market.
AI is a current hot topic in our business. Insurance companies are using it as part of their call centers, both to answer simple customer inquiries and to direct calls from customers with complex issues. Artificial intelligence systems can bring up a customer's record for the call center rep and even interpret the customer's mood!
Related: How will AI affect your business?
Another example of using AI in our business is the benefit administration systems used by most employers. These systems play a role in guiding employees through enrollment choices, using artificial intelligence to analyze an individual's needs and make recommendations.
And yet, as advanced as AI is becoming, there are still drawbacks. For example, how many of us have asked Alexa (or Siri or Google) a question only to be told "I don't know about that one," or "Here's what I found on the web."
Another problematic feature of artificial intelligence is inherent bias. It's well documented that AI recommendation engines often reflect the biases of the system programmers. A system of artificial intelligence seems like a dispassionate source of truth to the uneducated customer. It is all too easy for the bias of the systems creators—often a bias driven by the amount of revenue a particular product generates (not value to customers)—to be reflected in recommendations that are counter to the best interests of the individual.
In fact, AI advisors often leave customers with more problems than solutions. Sometimes their answers are great and at other times, simply mystifying. So, I had a moment of inspiration: We should all think of this as an opportunity for a new kind of AI. Instead of artificial intelligence, what about actual intelligence?
Actual intelligence is used in our business during both employer and employee discussions. It's what benefit brokers and consultants use when they discuss benefit program design with employers, or when enrollers talk with employees about their needs. When it comes to such recommendations, while it's difficult at times for humans to think beyond our own interests, we use our actual intelligence to overcome our biases and put the customer first. On the other hand, artificial intelligence has no means of overcoming such bias.
Trusting artificial intelligence often places customers on an island of helplessness. Our "new" AI—actual intelligence—is human-driven. Instead of mindlessly listing facts, it drives recommendations based on specific customer situations, applying knowledge and experience to best solve the customer's need.
Artificial intelligence is a great way to inventory facts and organize them for professionals to interpret and turn into solutions for customers. Someday, the alchemy of systems development may allow artificial intelligence to effectively replace our human AI, but meanwhile our actual intelligence represents the best opportunity customers have to maximize the value of their benefit programs.
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