HCLTech Drives Standard Insurance's AI Transformation with GenAI Force

HCLTech, a prominent global technology firm, is broadening its collaboration with Standard Insurance Company (The Standard), a leading US-based provider of financial protection products and services. This expanded alliance is centered on accelerating The Standard's AI-driven transformation to deliver digital-first services at scale.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] The core of this initiative involves deploying HCLTech's generative AI-led service transformation platform, AI Force, alongside its digital engineering and cloud services.[1][8][2] The primary aim is to significantly enhance efficiency, support The Standard's rapid growth, and elevate the customer experience, particularly within its workplace benefits offerings.[1][8][2][9][6][7] This strategic move also underpins The Standard's shift towards an IT products and services-based operating model, fostering greater agility and customer value while advancing its long-term digital transformation objectives.[1][8][2][5][6][7]

A key component of this enhanced partnership is the implementation of HCLTech's AI Force platform.[1][8][2][3] AI Force is a patented GenAI platform specifically designed to drive service transformation across the entire software engineering and IT operations lifecycle.[10][11] It achieves this by infusing intelligence into every stage, from initial requirements gathering and software design to coding, testing, DevOps, and even ongoing support and maintenance.[10] The platform is engineered to augment velocity, efficiency, and innovation by leveraging AI and GenAI technologies throughout the IT stack.[10][11] For The Standard, this means AI Force will be instrumental in reimagining daily routines for IT and operational staff by automating mundane and repetitive tasks, thereby boosting productivity, improving quality, and accelerating time-to-market for new services.[10] HCLTech emphasizes that AI Force is designed to integrate with existing IT environments with minimal disruption, acting as a "nondisruptive force multiplier" of a company's technology investments.[12] It offers features like compatibility with various Large Language Models (LLMs) and Small Language Models (SLMs), a core focus on responsible AI, advanced search and summarization capabilities, code workspaces powered by agentic workflows, speech recognition input, and IDE extensions.[11] HCLTech has also integrated AI Force with GitHub Copilot, aiming to streamline software development workflows further, enhance developer flexibility, and optimize code performance.[13] This integration is expected to help reduce technical debt and develop higher-quality, more maintainable software.[13]

Beyond the AI Force platform, HCLTech will contribute its expertise in digital engineering and cloud services to The Standard's transformation.[1][8][14][2] HCLTech's digital offerings are geared towards enabling enterprises to increase business resilience, improve operational efficiency, and deepen client engagement.[14] Their engineering and R&D services aim to help companies improve time-to-profit, accelerate product development, and maximize return on innovation.[14] In the realm of cloud, HCLTech’s CloudSMART offerings are designed to help organizations optimize their cloud infrastructure to accelerate innovation and agility at scale.[14] For The Standard, these capabilities will support the transition to a more product- and service-based IT model.[3][15] This shift is crucial for enhancing agility and customer-centricity in a rapidly evolving financial services landscape.[15] The collaboration will focus on delivering AI-driven infrastructure and application services tailored to the insurance sector's needs.[1][2][4][5] This includes modernizing The Standard's IT infrastructure to support its growth, which has been accelerated by digital transformation initiatives and acquisitions in recent years.[1][3][15] HCLTech's experience in managing complex IT environments and its digital-first approach are seen as key enablers for The Standard to scale efficiently and seamlessly.[1][3][15][4][5][9][6][7]

The overarching goal for The Standard is to leverage these advanced technologies to significantly improve its customer service, especially in the complex area of workplace benefits.[1][8][2] These benefits often include products like group and individual disability insurance, group life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, dental and vision coverage, absence management, and retirement plan services.[1][5][6] By implementing AI-driven solutions, The Standard aims to create more scalable, user-centric experiences for its employer clients and individual policyholders.[1][2][4][5] This includes faster claims processing, more personalized product offerings, and more efficient customer interactions.[16][17] The digital transformation is expected to enhance operational efficiency, allowing The Standard to manage its growing business and customer base more effectively.[1][2][15] To ensure the success and continuous evolution of this transformation, the two companies have established a Joint Innovation Council and a Digital Experience Office.[1][8][2][3][15][4][5][9][6][7] These bodies will be responsible for driving innovation, reinforcing The Standard's commitment to delivering adaptable and impactful customer solutions in a dynamic market.[1][2][3][15] Laxman Prakash, Chief Information Security Officer and Head of IT Infrastructure and Security Management Organization at The Standard, noted that HCLTech has proven to be the best partner to help them scale efficiently with its digital-first and customer-focused approach.[1][3][15][4][5][9][6][7]

This expanded partnership carries significant implications for the broader AI industry, particularly within the insurance and financial services sectors. It highlights a growing trend of established financial institutions turning to AI and GenAI to modernize operations, enhance customer engagement, and maintain a competitive edge.[15][16][18] The insurance industry, being data-intensive, stands to benefit immensely from GenAI's ability to ingest and analyze vast amounts of information, leading to improved risk assessment, fraud detection, and personalized customer experiences.[16][17][19] The collaboration underscores HCLTech's commitment to investing in AI-led capabilities and talent for the insurance sector.[1][3][4][6][7] Anubhav Mehrotra, Senior Vice President, Head of Insurance, North America, at HCLTech, emphasized that this partnership showcases their deep commitment to the insurance sector and HCLTech's investment in AI-led capabilities.[1][4][6][7] The move by The Standard to adopt a more agile, product-based IT model supported by AI is indicative of a wider shift in how financial services companies approach technology – not just as a support function, but as a core driver of business value and innovation.[1][2][3] As AI technologies like HCLTech's AI Force become more sophisticated and accessible, their adoption is expected to accelerate, potentially reshaping job roles within the industry by automating routine tasks and allowing human employees to focus on more complex, value-added activities.[10][17][20] The success of such partnerships will likely encourage further investment in AI across the financial world, pushing the boundaries of digital transformation and customer service.[21][22]

In conclusion, the deepened alliance between HCLTech and The Standard marks a significant step in The Standard's digital evolution, leveraging HCLTech's advanced AI, digital engineering, and cloud capabilities. The deployment of the AI Force platform is central to this transformation, promising to enhance efficiency, support growth, and significantly improve customer service in the delivery of workplace benefits.[1][8][2][9] This collaboration not only aims to modernize The Standard's IT operations but also to foster a culture of innovation through a newly formed Joint Innovation Council and Digital Experience Office.[1][2][3][15] For the AI industry, this partnership underscores the increasing adoption of generative AI in the financial services sector, signaling a move towards more agile, customer-centric, and AI-powered operating models. The outcomes of this initiative will be closely watched as a benchmark for AI-driven transformation in the insurance domain.