As the functionality and sophistication of AI evolve rapidly, it’s crucial for Send to stay ahead of the curve, guiding our underwriting customers through these changes and helping them to harness the power of AI.
Alice Butler is one of our talented Developers who has quickly become a key part of Send’s AI strategy. With her work on developing our Smart Submission component and research into cutting-edge AI solutions, Alice represents the innovative spirit driving technological transformation in the insurance industry. We caught up with Alice just weeks before she began her EDII Digital Minds journey to learn more about her journey through Send so far, and why she’s excited about the potential of AI to transform insurance.
Alice, you joined Send straight from university. What did you study, and how has it impacted your role at Send?
I studied mathematics and philosophy at the undergraduate level, followed by a Master’s in pure mathematics. While I didn’t do extensive coding at university, just some Python, my education provided strong problem-solving skills and taught me how to work things out independently with available resources. I’ve done a lot of learning on the job, and I think my education has been really helpful in allowing me to quickly apply my skills to a sector that was entirely new to me.
How easy have you found the transition from Mathematics Master to Developer at Send?
I believe the best way to learn is by working with existing code rather than building from scratch, as it’s very rare that you’re building an application from scratch. So, when I joined Send three years ago, I hit the ground running, diving head-first into the code base to learn more about it, and was encouraged to ask a lot of questions to get up to speed.
As I progressed, I took JavaScript courses provided by the company to improve my front-end coding skills. I was lucky to have such supportive managers, who have encouraged me to be curious, ask questions and learn how things fit together, that’s made the biggest difference.
Coming straight from University, did you have any preconceptions of insurance and InsurTech before joining Send?
I knew very little about insurance in general before joining, and only had a limited understanding of what Send did for its underwriting customers. I’ve picked up quite a lot of insurance knowledge while working here, as so many of our team have deep-rooted insurance expertise, and it’s a really interesting space.
When I started learning more about Send’s Underwriting Workbench, I was surprised that a comprehensive pre-bind solution like this didn’t already exist. A lot of critical underwriting processes were done from one or more different systems and manually via email and spreadsheets, which seemed quite an old-fashioned way of going about such a complex process.
We’re now seeing much more demand from underwriters for smarter workflows that can speed up or automate some of the processes that take up most of the underwriters’ time. That’s where we can really make a difference.
You’ve rapidly developed an interest in AI, and have been supporting Send’s AI strategy. Can you tell us about some of the projects you’ve been working on?
I’ve been focused on developing and building Send’s Smart Submission component. Though Smart Submission was built relatively recently (2023), AI wasn’t so deeply rooted in insurance; it existed but wasn’t capable of a fraction of the things it can do today. Since the boom of gen AI, its capabilities have skyrocketed, allowing us to make significant improvements to the product to better support underwriters. I’ve done a lot of testing around improved data extraction for submissions to make that process much quicker. The results have been really good, and we’re working on integrating these improvements into the product. The enhanced performance is down to a combination of how much Gen AI has improved and how we’re choosing to use it.
I’ve also been exploring ways to make our Underwriting Workbench more adaptable to customers’ specific AI use cases. From document summarisation to renewal risk data comparisons, there’s significant potential to streamline underwriting and optimise underwriters’ efficiency. I’ve been really enjoying research in that area.
How do you think the insurance industry is adapting to and adopting generative AI?
The industry is adopting generative AI in lots of different spaces, which is exciting. There are so many potential use cases to explore. At Send, we’re looking at enabling customers to develop their own micro apps that they can slot into the platform, allowing them to design AI functionality for their specific needs. This approach results in a product with many different AI applications, solving some of the most common pain points for underwriters.
You’re joining EDII’s ‘Digital Minds’ programme in May, following in the footsteps of several of your Send teammates. What are you most looking forward to?
I’m really looking forward to the social aspect of the programme, meeting other participants from across the London market with a similar interest in innovating and developing future-focused skills.
I’m also excited to gain a better understanding of the broader insurance market in general. It’ll be really useful to see beyond the development perspective I’m used to.
I’ve spoken with other Send team members who’ve completed the program, including Sol and my brother George, who also works at the company. They found it incredibly valuable, particularly in terms of learning how to approach complex insurance problems from multiple stakeholder perspectives and navigate priorities effectively.
Now you’ve been in insurance for three years, why would you recommend the industry to new talent?
In many ways, insurance is surprisingly fast-moving, despite its reputation, and that’s one of the most interesting parts about it. There’s a real push for innovation, which leaves a lot of space for interesting development to happen. It’s a great environment to learn and build your career in.
Get in touch with Alice on LinkedIn.