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AI becomes baseline expectation in broker-client insurance relationship
Zywave found 71% of employers expect brokers to act as trusted advisors in 2026, up from 56% in 2023, while weekly contact demand fell to 33.4% from 41.9% in 2025.
Zywave released its 2026 Broker Services Survey, based on insights from more than 1,400 U.S. employers, and said artificial intelligence is now shaping how companies evaluate and select insurance brokers. The insurer-focused research describes AI not as a future upgrade but as a defining factor in the broker-client relationship, with employers increasingly expecting both digital innovation and strategic guidance.
For the first time, employers listed “integrating AI effectively into benefits administration and HR operations” among their top 10 employee benefits and HR challenges. The survey also says “failure to leverage modern technology and AI-powered tools” has moved into the top reasons employers would consider switching brokers, underscoring that digital sophistication is becoming part of the service standard.
Zywave reported that 71% of employers in 2026 expect their broker to act as a trusted advisor, up from 56% in 2023. It also said the percentage of employers wanting weekly contact dropped from 41.9% in 2025 to 33.4% in 2026, as employers shift routine tasks to AI tools while reserving brokers for higher-value advisory work.
The survey further warns that AI is creating new commercial risk, with addressing coverage needs for emerging risks driven by AI appearing in the top 10 commercial insurance challenges for the first time. Zywave added that slow response times, inconsistent communication, and a broker’s inability to act as a strategic advisor remain the top three reasons employers say they would switch brokers.