AI Voicebot, a feature that ICICI Lombard Insurance claims as an industry first feature, handles as much as 70% of customer calls in the current year, according to Sanjeev Mantri, MD and CEO of the private sector insurer.

Speaking at the 25 years anniversary event of the insurer, Mr. Mantri said earlier it was using a vendor proposition, but it had largely moved everything in-house, with only 10% of the calls going through the bots, whereas the remaining 90% was received at its call centre, largely through the human interface.

“In the last one year, 70% of the calls are entertained through a bot or a WhatsApp chat bot. So, largely only on 27% of the calls there is a human intervention needed,” he added.

On the company’s product and process innovations, management highlighted several AI-led initiatives, describing them as industry-leading or first-of-their-kind. When asked whether AI-powered bots could impact direct insurance sales, Mr. Mantri did not provide any targeted mix or allocation between AI-driven and traditional direct sales. Instead, he emphasized that the deployment of AI is intended to enhance customer insights and improve the company’s “Sales IQ,” enabling more informed and effective sales interactions.

Responding to a question on whether customers could experience fatigue from interacting with AI-powered bots, Mr. Mantri said the company has undertaken rigorous testing to ensure the quality and effectiveness of these interactions. The growing use of AI in the insurance sector is particularly significant as the industry continues to grapple with mis-selling — a longstanding challenge that the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has sought to address through multiple regulatory and supervisory measures.

Published - August 03, 2026 06:24 pm IST