- Isabelle Kokoschka
Global Head of Learning and Skill Management
Global Head of Learning and Skill Management
AI at Allianz:
Building a future-ready workforce
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming industries at an unprecedented pace, redefining workflows, decision-making and innovation. However, companies can only reap the full potential of AI if employees have the skills to harness its power effectively and trust the technology. Without training employees and developing their expertise, businesses risk falling short of their AI-driven ambitions, leaving valuable opportunities untapped. It’s also important for Allianz’s employees to learn about AI to better understand it’s capabilities, opportunities, and impact on their work.
As an insurer, Allianz has been a data company ever since, and has been using AI since the 1990s. As AI systems became more prevalent for a broader part of the workforce, Allianz has started AI upskilling its workforce in 2020. The driver behind this initiative was the realization that while Allianz was accelerating the adoption of AI, employees needed the right skills to build trust and work effectively with the technology.
“AI and data upskilling at Allianz began in 2020 as a response to the need for deeper technical knowledge and understanding of AI’s impact within the workforce. Implementing AI is one thing, but transforming how we work with AI is just as crucial,” explains Isabelle Kokoschka, the Global Head of Learning and Skill Management at Allianz.
Kokoschka is responsible for strategic workforce planning, upskilling initiatives, and the global learning framework. She says that local AI initiatives already existed, but 2020 was the year Allianz made AI and data skilling a global priority, ensuring accessibility for all employees. Particularly, Allianz needed “both technical upskilling to enable AI-driven innovation and broader training on how to integrate AI into daily workflows effectively."
Critical AI and data skilling programs
The formalized global approach ensures consistency across Allianz and its operating entities (OEs) around the globe. This strategy allows employees at all levels to develop technical expertise and apply AI tools in their day-to-day work.
Allianz now offers a broad spectrum of AI and data training programs to employees, each tailored to distinct levels of expertise. The global program collaborates closely with Allianz Technology, Allianz’s internal IT services provider, to ensure the highest quality learning experience. Some of the standout programs include:
- #lead Generative AI – A program that started in 2023 and evolved in 2024, covering AI fundamentals, Allianz’s AI strategy and real-world use cases. The program is tailored to people leaders and is part of their yearly #lead passport refresh, enabling all leaders to navigate themselves and their team through the world of AI.
- “#lead Data Analytics” and “#lead Process Mining” programs were initiated in 2024, covering data literacy fundamentals and process intelligence for people leaders. As part of the annual #lead passport refresh, people leaders gained hands-on knowledge to leverage data analytics and identify process improvement opportunities in a data-driven way.
- AI Runs, offered with Allianz Technology – A global knowledge-sharing initiative for all employees featuring webinars with AI experts, helping employees stay updated on the latest trends and applications, and get to know all fundamentals, such as prompting.
- #Tech4Leaders – A leadership-focused program ensuring that Senior Executives are equipped to integrate AI into business strategies.
- DataXcellence – A global certification program offering bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels to encourage continuous learning in data analytics and science.
"Our AI training programs range from foundational AI literacy and generative AI ethics to topics like advanced prompting and machine learning,” says Kokoschka. “Employees can upskill at their own pace based on their level of interest and experience. There is a structured learning matrix – starting with AI fundamentals, progressing through machine learning, and culminating in leadership-level AI strategy and business integration."
For company leaders, Allianz offers a dedicated one-year AI journey, which includes immersive training, on-site visits and collaborations with universities like the Technical University of Munich (TUM), one of Europe’s leading institutions for AI, data science and machine learning, recognized for its cutting-edge research and strong industry and government collaborations.
TUM is home to the Munich Center for Machine Learning (MCML) and works closely with the Fraunhofer Institutes, Max Planck Society and Leibniz AI Lab. As a contributor to Germany’s National AI Strategy, TUM plays a crucial role in advancing AI innovation at both national and EU levels.
For individual contributors aiming to build a specialist career, Allianz offers professional certification programs in Data Analytics, Data Science, and AI Engineering area. The Data Scientist and AI Engineer certification programs are offered through DataCamp. Additionally, a 9-month hybrid programs for Data Analysts, Data Scientists, and Data Engineers are offered in collaboration with DataScientest and Sorbonne University in Paris. These comprehensive programs cover machine learning, AI, MLOps, Python, model deployment and maintenance.
"Implementing AI is one thing, but transforming how we work with AI is just as crucial."
Demand for AI and data skills
The growing appetite for AI knowledge at Allianz is reflected in the numbers. In 2024, more than 12,000 employees participated in the AI Run. Around 16,000 DataXcellence certifications were also issued, totaling over 57,000 hours of training. Meanwhile, more than 8,800 people managers were trained through #lead Generative AI, Data Analytics and Process Mining and about 12,000 employees completed a Generative AI for Business Leaders course via LinkedIn Learning.
“These figures highlight a strong and ongoing demand for AI and data skills, demonstrating that employees are eager to enhance their expertise and leverage AI effectively in their roles,” notes Kokoschka.
She says feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with generative AI (GenAI) being one of the highest-rated learning experiences. This shows that employees are eager to engage with AI and understand its business applications. One of the drivers of AI adoption is AllianzGPT, the internal Allianz chatbot that is free to use in Allianz internally.
"AI learning is a continuous journey. Employees don’t just complete a course and stop; they expect ongoing learning opportunities as AI evolves," says Kokoschka.
Leadership’s role in AI upskilling
Leadership engagement is critical to the success of AI adoption in any organization. Allianz has made AI training a core component of its #Lead program, which is specifically tailored to enhance the understanding of leaders. Company leaders are expected to understand AI’s strategic implications, drive transformation within their teams and ensure their employees are continuously upskilled.
Through programs like #Tech4Leaders, Allianz ensures that its executives are AI-literate and capable of guiding their teams through the digital transformation. This is offered together with The University of California, Berkeley ExecEd program, which focuses on AI, business strategies and applications.
"For Allianz, upskilling in AI and data savviness isn’t just about training employees; it’s about empowering everyone – leaders as well as all employees to foster a culture of innovation, technical excellence and efficiency in a responsible way," emphasizes Bettina Dietsche, Chief People and Culture Officer for Allianz Group.
Impact on productivity and beyond
Employee feedback indicates that AI skilling initiatives have significantly improved productivity and sparked enthusiasm beyond the workplace. Some key insights include that AI Run participants have reported incorporating AI tools into their daily work, particularly for process optimization and productivity enhancements. DataXcellence participants emphasized that even employees who don’t work directly with data benefit from data literacy, as it helps in decision-making and storytelling.
Outlook
Allianz is committed to deepening its AI and data-skilling initiatives. The company aims to introduce more advanced AI courses, expand collaborations with universities and enhance leadership engagement in AI-driven transformation.
"We’re emphasizing human-centric skills such as critical thinking and analytical skills alongside digital and AI because AI adoption must go hand in hand with responsible decision-making," outlines Kokoschka. “The next phase of AI upskilling is about achieving scale in business impact. It’s no longer just about understanding AI but about applying it effectively in real-world scenarios", adds Dietsche.
By empowering employees with the right knowledge and tools, Allianz is ensuring that its workforce remains agile, innovative, and ready to harness the full potential of AI. With a solid foundation already in place, the company continues to lead the way in AI upskilling, setting a benchmark for the insurance industry.
Further information
The "AI at Allianz" series
About Allianz
The Allianz Group is one of the world's leading insurers and asset managers with around 128 million* private and corporate customers in nearly 70 countries. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. Allianz is one of the world’s largest investors, managing around 768 billion euros** on behalf of its insurance customers. Furthermore, our asset managers PIMCO and Allianz Global Investors manage about 1.9 trillion euros** of third-party assets. Thanks to our systematic integration of ecological and social criteria in our business processes and investment decisions, we are among the leaders in the insurance industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In 2024, over 156,000 employees achieved total business volume of 179.8 billion euros and an operating profit of 16.0 billion euros for the group.
* As of December 31, 2024. Including non-consolidated entities with Allianz customers.
** As of March 31, 2025.
** As of March 31, 2025.
Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements
As with all content published on this site, these statements are subject to our cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements:
