Digitalization to Intelligent Insurance: A Longitudinal Study of AI Transformation on Private General Insurance in India

The insurance industry is increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance operational efficiency, customer experience, and decision-making capabilities. While existing studies have predominantly focused on AI adoption determinants and specific application areas, limited attention has been given to understanding how insurers evolve from digitalization to AI-enabled business models over time. Addressing this gap, the present study examines the AI transformation journey of India's private general insurance sector through a longitudinal content analysis of ICICI Lombard and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance. The study analyses corporate disclosures, annual reports, and publicly available documents from 2017 to 2025. The findings reveal a four-stage transformation pathway comprising digitalization foundation, process automation, AI integration, and intelligent insurance. Both insurers progressively expanded AI applications across underwriting, claims management, customer service, fraud detection, and risk assessment functions. The analysis further indicates a shift from operational automation toward enterprise-wide AI capabilities and Generative AI-enabled solutions, reflecting the emergence of intelligent insurance ecosystems. The study contributes to the literature by providing longitudinal evidence of AI-driven organizational transformation in the insurance industry and extending understanding of how firms develop and deploy AI capabilities over time. The findings offer practical insights for insurers seeking to accelerate their transition from digitalization to intelligent insurance through strategic AI implementation. Keywords: artificial intelligence; Digitalization; insurance; ICICI Lombard; Bajaj Allianz