Beyond Build Vs. Buy: The Real AI Question For Insurers Is Decision Intelligence

InnovationBeyond Build Vs. Buy: The Real AI Question For Insurers Is Decision IntelligenceByRobert Clark,Forbes Councils Member.for Forbes Technology CouncilCOUNCIL POSTExpertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based)Jun 02, 2026, 08:45am EDTRobert Clark is the founder and CEO of Cloverleaf Analytics, a leading provider of insurance decision intelligence solutions. getty​Insurers are not short on technology questions right now.One of the biggest is whether they should build AI and analytics capabilities internally or buy them from a partner. It is a fair question. It is also incomplete.The better question is whether those investments are improving the decisions that drive the business. Are they improving underwriting, claims, risk selection, retention, pricing discipline or operational performance? If the answer is no, then the company may not be choosing the wrong technology. It may be solving the wrong outcome.AI And Analytics Are InputsAI models, predictive analytics, dashboards and automation tools can all be valuable. But they are inputs. They are not the end result. A model that identifies a profitable segment but never changes underwriting appetite has limited value. A dashboard that shows claim deterioration without triggering action is insufficient. The goal is not more data. It is not more analytics. It is not even more AI. The goal is to make better decisions faster and with greater consistency.That sounds obvious, but many technology programs are still measured by deployment or activity. Those indicators matter, but they are different from business impact.PwC's 2026 Digital Trends in Operations survey found that 60% of organizations said poor data quality has affected their ability to achieve value from digital initiatives. The same research found that 89% of respondents gave at least one reason their technology investments had not fully delivered expected results, w...