Agentic AI works best when it augments judgment, not replaces it: Sriram Naganathan, President & Chief Technology Officer, HDFC ERGO General Insurance

For years, insurers have discussed AI as an aspiration—confined to pilots, point solutions, and incremental automation. But inside HDFC ERGO General Insurance, AI is no longer a future roadmap item. It is being embedded directly into the company’s operating fabric—reshaping how risk is underwritten, claims are settled, cyber threats are managed, and insurance is delivered in real time.

This shift is not being driven as a standalone technology program, but as a business-led re-architecture of the insurer’s digital core. From AI-augmented underwriting and zero-touch claims to cloud-native, API-driven platforms and event-based insurance models, HDFC ERGO is using technology to hard-wire speed, intelligence, and trust into day-to-day operations, states Sriram Naganathan, President & Chief Technology Officer, HDFC ERGO General Insurance

Some edited excerpts:

AI-led underwriting is becoming mainstream in insurance. How is HDFC ERGO leveraging AI/ML to move from traditional rule-based underwriting to ...