AI at Work: How Human and AI Skills Make Insurance Better

As research by McKinsey showed in late 2025, many organizations concentrate on basic AI literacy when it comes to upskilling. Allianz takes a broader view: Allianz views AI learning as a human-skills evolution. Employees develop the capabilities that enable responsible innovation: critical thinking, curiosity, ethical judgment, and strong communication.

“It’s the natural evolution of AI skilling”, says Isabelle Kokoschka, Global Head of Learning and Skills Management Head of Allianz Global Learning and Skills Management. As AI systems become more powerful, she notes, the value of human judgment, curiosity, and critical thinking increases. ”AI changes how decisions are made, how work is organized, and how teams collaborate. Our people leaders need the skills to guide their teams through this shift, by providing reassurance in an ambiguous environment, supporting employees in integrating AI into their daily work, adapting workflows, ensuring the responsible use of AI, and becoming increasingly adept at leading hybrid teams of humans and AI.” 

At the core is a simple idea: the question is no longer whether employees use AI, but how thoughtfully they use it.

In 2024, Allianz established a strong base of AI literacy: how AI works, how generative models behave, and how to use them safely. With this foundation in place, the next chapters focus on:

• reshaping the customer journey and the entire value chain,
• rethinking how teams collaborate and
• integrating AI responsibly into daily work.

This shift is supported by a multi year learning journey across Allianz.

The backbone in 2025 was the Global AI Run, which empowered more than 150,000 employees in over 70 countries and received Gold at the Globee Business Awards 2025 and Gold at the HR Brilliance Awards 2026.

Complementary initiatives reinforce this momentum:

• DataXcellence, supporting more than 35,000 employees in data literacy and analytics, plus the #lead DataXcellence track for people leaders
• Executive programs such as #Tech4Leaders, Beyond #Tech4Leaders (in partnership with The Wharton School), and Tech Trips with the Technical University of Munich to explore transformative technologies live.

Together, they form a global learning architecture designed to strengthen digital fluency and human AI-centric leadership.

AI adoption is already reshaping how Allianz employees work. AllianzGPT 1.0, the Group’s internal AI chatbot, has quickly become a productivity tool for many employees at Allianz, freeing up valuable time for deep work. In 2026, Allianz GPT 2.0 will be released as the new internal AI platform with expanded capabilities for all employees. The GenAI Lab, an internal AI experimentation platform, has enabled the creation of more than 30,000 AI agents, showing the high interest and engagement of employees in learning AI. In addition, Allianz offers Microsoft Copilot on request for employees in many local entities for specific use cases. As part of the partnership with Anthropic, Claude for Enterprise is currently rolled out across Allianz, also available for employees on request.

Allianz considers broad access to a variety of AI tools as an important aspect of AI adoption and skilling. People will only use AI if they trust the technology – and trust cannot be taught in skilling programs; it grows through experience and daily use of different AI tools. 

The “4 Ugly Hours” initiative is helping employees to continuously eliminate repetitive administrative tasks using AI, freeing time for higher value work.

In 2026, Allianz introduced Fit4AI, a new global learning framework that offers two tailored global pathways: one for all employees, and one for people leaders as well Fit4AI-programs in each Operating Entity to address specific needs and cultural contexts.

Fit4AI goes far beyond tool mastery. It emphasizes the role of AI in business and AI for themselves and their employees, equipping leaders to guide and support their teams through change, embed responsible practices, and drive adoption in a way that delivers value for both employees and customers. Across the Group, entities are designing their own Fit4AI learning journey, experimenting with formats like AI Jam sessions and bringing creativity and energy into the learning experience. In addition, all employees can register for a new edition of the Allianz AI Run.

AI at Allianz is ultimately a people story. The Group’s upskilling strategy places human centric skills, like critical thinking, empathic reasoning, ethical judgment, curiosity, creativity, and communication, at the center.

As AI becomes woven into everyday work, the focus shifts from understanding to adoption to transformation. The key question is no longer how AI will change the insurance industry, but how Allianz’s people will use AI to transform it themselves, supported by thoughtful, future ready training.