Fueling innovative software
July 15-18, 2019
Portland, OR

A data odyssey: Open source AI’s transformation of the insurance industry

Alyssa Columbus (Pacific Life)

Who is this presentation for?

  • Data scientists and analysts, software engineers, and actuaries

Level

Non-technical

Description

Data has always been at the heart of the insurance industry, but what’s creating a massive disruption is the amount of data generated daily and the speed at which machines can process information and uncover insights, such as the volume, variety, and quality of data Pacific Life has at its disposal and the new ways it’s soliciting which defines the types of policies an individual can qualify for and provides recommendations for insurance products that are relevant for specific customers.

By having a complete picture of customers from a variety of sources, insurance companies can better manage risk and create products and services that serve customers best. Alyssa Columbus takes you through how the insurance industry landscape will continue to evolve as the innovations of open source technologies such as TensorFlow, H2O, and scikit-learn create more solutions to streamline operations, formulate better underwriting models, and provide enhanced customer service.

Prerequisite knowledge

  • General knowledge of the insurance industry and machine learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, H2O, and scikit-learn) (useful but not required)

What you'll learn

  • Gain a deeper knowledge of the insurance industry and how its analytical capabilities are scaling with the rise of open source AI technologies
Photo of Alyssa Columbus

Alyssa Columbus

Pacific Life

Alyssa Columbus is a data scientist at Pacific Life and member of the spring 2018 class of NASA Datanauts. Previously, she was a computational statistics and machine learning researcher at the Athena Breast Health Network and has built robust predictive models and applications for a diverse set of industries spanning retail and biologics. Alyssa is a strong proponent of reproducible methods, open source technologies, and diversity in tech. In her free time, she leads R-Ladies Irvine and Girl Scout STEM workshops.