Aviva to use AI for motor claims in Northern Ireland

Insurance firm Aviva has signed an agreement with technology company Tractable to use its artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the efficiency and accuracy of motor repairs in Northern Ireland and Britain.

Tractable develops visual AI to aid in the repair of cars by using photos to assess damage enabling the accurate calculation of repair costs “within minutes”.

Aviva said it will now be able to quickly and accurately complete remote assessment of repair estimates and increase consistency of diagnosis, reducing the potential for errors which can add time to motor claims.

While this technology is now being rolled out across Aviva’s entire UK repair network including Solus (its exclusive chain of body work establishments), a spokesperson for Aviva told Autotrade.ie that there are “no plans at the moment” to introduce this AI here in the Republic of Ireland.

Simon Smith, managing director of Solus said implementing Tractable’s AI into its motor claims will deliver “multiple benefits” to customers.

“It will improve the accuracy of repair diagnostics across Aviva’s UK repair network, making the way in which we assess vehicle damage more efficient. This means we can get to work on fixing the vehicle and getting customers back on the road,” he said.

He added that it is also a step towards Aviva’s goal of being a net zero company by 2040.

“Remotely identifying which parts can be repaired rather than replaced has a number of environmental benefits: we avoid the unnecessary journeys by an assessor to look at a claim in person; we prevent safe, working parts from going to landfill; and we reduce the volume of green or new parts that would need to be ordered and shipped in the first place,” Smith said.