Jamie Wilson, VP of Strategy: hyperexponential: Why AI needs to raise the bar of underwriting, not just the floor (418)

Introduction AI is already changing underwriting, but is the industry focusing on the part of the job where it can create the most value?  In this episode, Matthew Grant speaks with Jamie Wilson, VP of Strategy at hyperexponential, about the evolution of underwriting technology, the move from AI-assisted tools towards agentic workflows and what 350 senior underwriters across the UK and US say they actually want from AI.  Jamie explains why much of the value delivered by AI so far has been concentrated on efficiency and reducing manual administration. Yet when underwriters were asked what makes someone exceptional at their job, speed barely featured. Instead, they pointed to qualities such as risk selection, technical depth, judgement and commercial instinct. It raises an important question: rather than simply helping underwriters work faster, can AI help them make better decisions?  The conversation explores what changes as underwriting moves from AI-assisted to agentic. Instead of an underwriter controlling the workflow and calling on AI for individual tasks, an agentic system can move work through the underwriting process itself, involving a human when a decision requires expertise or falls outside predefined guardrails. Jamie discusses why those guardrails will be critical and how different portfolios could require very different levels of human involvement.  They also examine the implications for underwriting teams. As technology takes on more routine work, experienced underwriters could spend more time applying their expertise to complex risks, while technical portfolio teams may play a growing role in determining where and how greater autonomy should be used.  Finally, Jamie shares one of the most striking findings from the research: the "succession paradox". Underwriters identified the loss of senior judgement before it can be passed to the next generation as their biggest future concern, yet coaching junior colleagues ranked last among the investment priorities explored in the survey. Could AI help bridge that gap by making accumulated underwriting knowledge and expertise more accessible to the next generation?  In this episode you’ll learn:  - Why focusing on efficiency alone could underestimate the potential of AI in underwriting - What underwriters believe separates exceptional underwriting from simply working faster - The difference between AI-assisted and agentic underwriting - How guardrails can determine when an AI agent acts autonomously and when an underwriter steps in - Why different portfolios may require very different approaches to agentic underwriting - How greater automation could allow underwriters to focus their expertise on more complex risks - Why existing technology architecture and point solutions could complicate end-to-end agentic workflows - What the "succession paradox" reveals about the industry's approach to developing junior underwriting talent - How AI could potentially help transfer expertise from experienced underwriters to the next generation Book recommendation:   - *Thinking, Fast and Slow* by Daniel Kahneman for its insights into human judgement, data-driven decision-making and the psychology of adopting new technology. Read hyperexponential's Underwriting Edge Report Discover what 350 senior commercial P&C underwriters say defines underwriting excellence, where AI is delivering value and what could hold the industry back in hyperexponential’s Underwriting Edge 2026 report. Curious for more? Catch-up with all that happened at hx Live NYC on 17 September. If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review on whichever platform you use or contact Matthew Grant on LinkedIn.  Sign up to the InsTech newsletter for a fresh view on the world every Wednesday morning.