Scout InsurTech Spotlight with Anna Shaffer

Anna Shaffer is the Chief Product Officer at b atomic!, an insurance tech company helping independent agents leverage their data to craft an unforgettable customer experience. Anna was interviewed by Michael Fiedel, Co-Founder at Scout InsurTech and Co-Founder at PolicyFly, Inc.

Anna, can you share your thoughts on the human elements behind technology and AI?

“When we talk about Artificial Intelligence (AI), it’s easy to get caught up in the tech. But, at the heart of every breakthrough, there’s a person. In our industry, it’s a policyholder that may have lost their home, and that’s heartbreaking. Or, it’s an agent working with a first-time homebuyer, walking them through coverage for the first time, and they’re scared and unsure.

I’ve worked on both sides. I’ve launched AI-powered tools, and I’ve watched how people actually use them. Tech is only powerful when it connects to real human needs. The best AI doesn’t replace empathy, it makes room for it. You’re not keying things in, you’re having a human interaction while everything else is being handled. If AI strips away the tedious, then a person can spend more time doing the work that matters, like reassuring someone after a loss or explaining why a certain coverage is needed.

The heart of AI isn’t in the algorithm. It’s in the person it's built to serve.”

If AI is adopted responsibly, what are some best-case scenarios for people in our industry?

“The best case is we finally give people back their time and purpose. Imagine someone in the field not spending 70 percent of their day gathering documents or a customer service rep whose system already knows the context of the last five calls, so they don’t have to make someone repeat themselves.

Responsible AI makes people feel more capable. It removes administrative burdens and lets professionals use their expertise. They can ask better questions, build stronger relationships and problem-solve instead of toggling between systems.

It can also unlock careers. Someone stuck in a repetitive role now has space to grow into higher-value work because the machine is doing the boring stuff. That’s when tech becomes transformational, not because it’s fast, but because it makes humans more powerful.”

On a practical level, what are examples where you see AI being used effectively?

“Some of the most meaningful uses are solving unglamorous, everyday problems. Things like repetitive data entry, chasing missing information, deciphering handwritten PDFs and forms. AI can take unstructured data and make it usable, like entering into Salesforce or Radar, creating a record beyond just fields and objects.

It also cuts down on human error because we’re not perfect, and keying things in introduces risk. One powerful use case is finding insights from what I call ‘dead data’ like missing data points that delay quotes and hurt customer experience. Artificial Intelligence can highlight slight inconsistencies, so you don’t have to rework later.

It doesn’t replace people; it amplifies them. It gives teams better information earlier, so they can move faster and spend more time on high-value work that requires actual skills, not just typing in a 16-digit VIN.”

Are there concerns you have about how AI might adversely affect people? 

“Something happened recently that stuck with me. I was sitting in a dentist’s office and overheard the front desk trying to reach an insurance carrier. They got caught in a loop with a voice assistant. You could hear the frustration. Eventually, one woman just screamed, ‘I just want to talk to a human.’

This is what happens when tech becomes a barrier instead of a bridge. That’s a problem. Your customer is already frustrated before they even get a person on the phone. The real risk isn’t robots taking over, it’s people being left behind.

If we build AI without care, we confuse teams and frustrate customers. If we don’t build trust, accessibility and transparency from day one, we’ll spend more time fixing broken systems later. It’s like a plumber’s joke. If I do it once, it’s one price. If I fix someone else’s mistake, it’s double.”

What are you excited about in the next few years?

“I’m excited by how fast the landscape is evolving. It’s scary and fun. One day you learn something, and the next day there’s a new acronym replacing it.

We’re entering an era where documents don’t have to be scanned or retyped and processes aren’t manual. Teams won’t waste time hunting for things just to get the work done. I love the idea of copilot assistants, team members who aren’t human but know how to help.

I’m also into the idea of rebuilding trust around AI, not just using it for speed but for confidence. Like showing where a data point came from or why a recommendation was made. When people see AI as a partner instead of a black box, we can unlock new levels of efficiency and creativity. It’s not just tech-forward, it’s people-first. That's a real transformation, especially for industries still catching up.”

What are your thoughts on AI making analytical decisions and educating humans in the process?

“The best AI doesn’t say ‘do this,’ it says ‘I’m 90 percent sure, here’s why.’ I saw one example at the InsurTech New York event. It flagged potential fraud based on license plate placement. That’s it. It didn’t say deny. It just said, ‘You should take a look at the photos.’

That’s what good AI does. It helps catch things we might miss when we’re busy, like working on our 20th claim of the day. It asks, ‘Have you thought about this?’

Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) tell you what to do but never why. No one gives you a decision tree that explains the rationale. If AI can help replicate logic and teach principles, we train and educate better.”

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