2026 Executive Outlook | Rob Marsh, Liberty Mutual Canada

Artificial Intelligence (AI) stopped being a headline in 2025 and started testing our judgment.

Machine learning and advanced analytics moved from pilots to practical tools shaping how we underwrite, price and serve clients. Some embraced them with enthusiasm, others with understandable unease, since the speed and scale of this shift can feel intimidating. It requires up-skilling, courage and a willingness to make innovation part of everyday work.

At the same time, capacity and capital have continued to expand, creating more competition and options across the market. What used to be competitive differentiators like speed, efficiency, and innovation are now table stakes. The real edge will be how we use judgment when data is incomplete or models disagree. That means taking a people-first approach to technology, using it to amplify the power of our judgment, creativity, and connection. The opportunity is to expand the space for human impact, not shrink it.

For our industry, this demands a rebalance of skills. Practical judgment, communication and strategic thinking will be as valuable as technical expertise. Winning teams will pair AI insights with human conviction, making recommendations they can explain, defend and stand behind.

Clients will expect transparency and clarity of reasoning. Brokers will look for partners who anticipate exposures before they materialize and explain decisions with confidence. Insurers who can do that will earn trust and win.

Market leaders will treat AI and data as accelerants, not substitutes for judgment. They will:

• Build governance so decisions are easily explained
• Train leaders to think clearly under pressure
• Price for resilience rather than short-term wins
• Communicate with transparency about risk and trade-offs
• Invest in people as their greatest differentiator.

As competitive lines blur, organizations successfully combining human ingenuity with technological clarity — and deepening their specialization in areas in which it matters most — will create the most value and define what leadership looks like in 2026.