New findings from Cynozure and The Insurance Network spotlight where insurers are progressing, and what’s needed to turn ambition into impact
Cynozure, a leading data, analytics and AI consulting firm in collaboration with The Insurance Network (TIN), today announced the launch its latest report, What Matters Most for Insurers Now: Cynozure’s 2025 report on data and AI in insurance, in partnership with The Insurance Network.
The report, based on a survey of 35 senior leaders from across the UK and global insurance markets, finds that insurers overwhelmingly see data and AI as critical to growth, but struggle to align ambition with execution. While 66% aim to build a data-driven culture and 46% want real-time decision-making, far fewer are prioritising the enabling initiatives needed to get there. Just 11% are investing in data literacy. Only 29% are enabling self-service analytics. The gap between strategic outcomes and the capabilities and investment being mobilised to support them which may also be reflective of internal readiness rather than strategic ambition.
Key findings include:
- 69% of insurers say realising business value from data and analytics is a top priority in the next 12–18 months
- Yet only 11% are prioritising data literacy, and 29% enabling data-driven decision-making, two essentials for turning data into action
- 49% cite budget or resource constraints as a top blocker, but the nature of barriers differs by firm size: smaller firms face resourcing gaps, while larger firms struggle with legacy systems and data quality and governance
- Ownership of AI strategy is unclear or fragmented: only 31% say it’s led by a CDO or equivalent; 25% say there is no clear owner or it’s distributed across teams
- 54% say data and AI are central to future growth, and nearly 75% report board- or executive-level sponsorship
- Two-thirds of insurers are now actively exploring or deploying AI agents, suggesting the sector is moving beyond experimentation, but success will hinge on strong leadership, governance, and culture.
Jason Foster, Founder & CEO at Cynozure, commented: ”The direction of travel is clear: insurers want faster, smarter, more data-guided operations. But delivering on that ambition is proving difficult. Progress is being held back by unclear or fragmented data & AI ownership, legacy technology, data quality and governance issues, and underinvestment in the capabilities that drive real impact.”
Jeremy Burgess, CEO at The Insurance Network, added: “This report spotlights the real execution challenges facing insurance leaders today. It’s a must-read for anyone shaping data and AI strategy in a regulated, complex environment.”
You can download the full report here.
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