ITC Special Part 2C - Driving Insurance Innovation Through AI and Analytics with Leandro DalleMulle

Is the insurance industry finally ready to move beyond buzzwords to meaningful AI implementation? How are innovative companies translating data into actionable insights? In this special episode of our ITC series, we explore how three companies are taking different approaches to harnessing AI and analytics to solve real industry challenges.

Our conversations with Leandro DalleMule of Planck, Sean Merat of Owl.co, and Dennis Ellis of Credit Karma reveal how mature AI solutions are finally addressing longstanding operational challenges in insurance. Their approaches demonstrate that success with AI isn't about the technology itself—it's about solving specific business problems and delivering measurable outcomes.

 

Key Insights:

- The evolution of AI in insurance from experimental to practical

- How companies are moving beyond data collection to actionable insights

- The critical balance between automation and human judgment

- The role of domain expertise in building effective AI solutions

- Importance of focusing on business problems rather than technology

 

Featured Conversations:

 

Sean Merat, CEO of Owl.co

[01:50] Journey into insurance technology

[02:46] Owl.co's claims insights engine approach

[03:34] The human element in AI-driven decisions

[04:14] Focus on bodily injury claims processing

[05:46] Compliance and ethical considerations in claims data

 

Notable Quote: "We are big ambassadors into the thought process that there should always be a human in the loop. Even though we're an AI company, we think that AI should be working on mundane aspects of the day-to-day lives of claims professionals, but the decisioning should always be on the human."

 

Dennis Ellis, General Manager of Insurance at Credit Karma

[01:50] Transition from Zendrive to Credit Karma

[09:22] Creating frictionless insurance experiences

[13:09] First 90 days leading post-acquisition integration

[15:23] Building awareness for insurance offerings

[23:01] Connecting credit data with insurance opportunities

 

Notable Quote: "What we focus on in all of our products, but in insurance especially, is how do we create a marketplace that allows people to have kind of frictionless certainty?"

Leandro DalleMule, Global Head of Insurance at Planck

[01:35] Background in insurance analytics

[02:17] Evolution from data management to AI solutions

[07:47] Product market fit journey

[08:16] Early adoption of AI in insurance

[09:48] Focus on solving underwriting pain points

 

Notable Quote: "We never really framed it as, you need AI. We always try to frame it in terms of your pain points from an insurance, very specific carrier point of view."

Key Themes:

 

AI Implementation Strategy

- Moving beyond buzzwords to practical solutions

- Focus on specific business problems and outcomes

- Balance between automation and human judgment

 

Data Analytics Evolution

- Transition from data collection to actionable insights

- Integration of multiple data sources

- Importance of compliance and ethical considerations

 

Market Education

- Building understanding of AI capabilities

- Demonstrating concrete business value

- Setting realistic expectations for AI implementation

 

Digital Transformation

- Creating seamless user experiences

- Integrating technology with existing workflows

- Measuring and proving ROI

 

About Our Guests:

 

Leandro DalleMule leads Planck's global insurance initiatives, bringing extensive experience from roles at AIG and other major financial institutions. His background in data analytics and insurance operations provides unique insights into practical AI implementation.

Sean Merat co-founded Owl.co, which works with 16 of the top 20 largest carriers to enhance claims processing through AI-driven insights. His focus is on making claims decisioning faster and more effective while maintaining human oversight.

Dennis Ellis serves as General Manager of Insurance at Credit Karma, following their acquisition of Zendrive. He focuses on creating frictionless insurance experiences that leverage both credit and behavioral data.

 

Resources:

Sean Merat & Owl.co

- https://www.owl.co

- LinkedIn: [Sean Mehrat](https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanmerat/)

 

Dennis Ellis & Credit Karma

- https://www.creditkarma.com/insurance

- LinkedIn: [Dennis Ellis](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-ellis)

 

Leandro DalleMule & Planck

- https://www.planckdata.com

- LinkedIn: [Leandro DalleMule](https://www.linkedin.com/in/leandrodallemule/)

 

This episode launches our exploration of how AI and analytics are transforming various aspects of insurance operations, from underwriting to claims to customer experience. Stay tuned for upcoming episodes focusing on distribution, collaboration, innovation, and leadership.