Manulife Named #1 Life Insurer for AI Maturity for Second Consecutive Year by Evident
Manulife has been recognized as the top life insurance company for AI maturity for the second consecutive year in the 2026 Evident AI Index for Insurance. The company has also been named the leading insurer in Canada and holds the top position in the AI Leadership category, ranking third overall. These distinctions highlight Manulife's ability to implement AI-driven innovations throughout its global operations, enhancing business value and furthering its aim to function as an AI-powered organization.
Phil Witherington, President and CEO of Manulife, stated, "We're proud to be named the number one life insurer for AI maturity for the second year in a row – and are now a top three company overall. This is a powerful validation of Manulife's refreshed enterprise strategy, and our commitment to being an AI-powered organization globally." Witherington noted expectations of generating over $1 billion of enterprise value by 2027, with $300 million achieved by the end of 2025, affirming the impact of their AI initiatives.
Evident reported that Manulife has deployed more AI use cases than any other insurer in the Index. This includes the Manulife Automated Underwriting Decision Engine (MAUDE), which automates decisions for over half of eligible individual life insurance applications in Canada, and various AI-enabled tools across John Hancock and Manulife Wealth & Asset Management designed to enhance customer experience and decision-making.
The Evident AI Index ranks AI maturity among 30 insurance firms in North America and Europe, assessing key areas such as Talent, Innovation, Leadership, and Transparency. Manulife excelled particularly in Leadership and Transparency, with strong executive engagement and a transparent operational approach noted by Evident.
Jodie Wallis, Global Chief AI Officer at Manulife, commented, "This recognition reflects the depth of AI integration across Manulife and the deliberate way we are scaling its impact." Alexandra Mousavizadeh, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Evident, indicated that Manulife's systematic approach to building AI capabilities and improving customer relations contributed to the company's top ranking in the Index.