Helvetia Holding AG: Helvetia to use ChatGPT for new customer service

Media release

Basel 30. March 2023


Helvetia to use ChatGPT for new customer service

Helvetia is the world's first-ever listed insurer to launch a direct customer contact service based on OpenAI's ChatGPT technology. The service uses artificial intelligence to answer customers' questions on insurance and pensions. Although currently still at the experimental stage, the long-term hope for the service is that it makes access to insurance and pension products more straightforward.

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence tool that can digest massive volumes of text data and then use this as a basis for answering questions. Helvetia is the first listed insurance company in the world to use this technology from OpenAI as part of a live experiment, which will be conducted using Clara, Helvetia's digital assistant in Switzerland. Clara's new chatbot service provides information on insurance, pensions and home ownership. To do this, the software uses web content from Helvetia Switzerland, such as product pages and information guides. Anyone can try out the new chatbot service free of charge. 

Pinpointing added value for customers
Helvetia is clear that its new service is an experiment: the company wants to gauge the potential offered by language models such as ChatGPT and gain insight into how customers perceive services such as this. At the forefront of this experiment is the ambition set out as part of the helvetia 20.25 strategy to set new benchmarks in customer convenience and customer access, as Jan Kundert, Head Customer and Market Management and Member of the Executive Management of Helvetia Switzerland, explains: "We are investing in a positive customer experience on an ongoing basis and at a number of levels. Consequently, we want to be able to gauge the added value artificial intelligence can offer our customers."

Emphasis on shared research
Helvetia was an early mover in offering its customers chatbot services and – thanks to Clara, its digital assistant – is seen within the insurance industry as a pioneer in this area. The company started internal testing as soon as OpenAI released its application programming interface (API) for ChatGPT at the beginning of March. Achim Baumstark, CTO of the Helvetia Group: "For us, it's clear that artificial intelligence and language models in particular will be a key competency going forward. Hence our interest in gathering experience with this technology as rapidly as possible within a clearly defined test environment." The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts is assisting with the experiment. It will also help Helvetia evaluate the results. The fact that this is an experiment is clearly indicated in the terms of use. Project Manager Florian Nägele: "We are testing the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence together with customers who are interested in the topic. The chatbot is in no way a substitute for an individual advisory discussion with a specialist." Helvetia will decide on the next steps with Clara and her GPT functionality once it has analysed the first findings from the experiment. If you have questions regarding insurance, you can test the chatbot at www.helvetia.ch/ask-clara.

Download image: Clara, the digital assistant of Helvetia in Switzerland
Download image: Mobile application of the new chatbot service from Helvetia Switzerland

This media release is also available on our website www.helvetia.ch/media


For further information please contact:

Eric Zeller
Communication Manager/Press officer 

Phone: +41 58 280 50 33
media.relations@helvetia.ch


About Helvetia Group  
Helvetia Group, with its headquarters in St. Gallen, has grown since 1858 to become a successful insurance group with over 12,000 employees and more than 7 million customers. It has been enabling its customers to seize opportunities and minimise risks for all that time – Helvetia is there for them when it matters. Helvetia is the best partner and is present everywhere that protection needs arise, with insurance, pension and investment solutions from a single source as well as simple products and processes. The insurance group knows the business, from mobile phone insurance and insurance cover for the Gotthard Base Tunnel to the long-term investment of customer assets. Helvetia develops and opens up new business models with enthusiasm and drives forward its own business in a powerful and future-oriented manner. It acts with foresight and responsibility in everything it does: for the benefit of its shareholders, customers and employees as well as its partners, society and the environment. 
Helvetia is the leading all-lines insurer in Switzerland. In the Europe segment comprising Germany, Italy, Austria and Spain, the company has firmly rooted market positions for generating above-average growth. In the Specialty Markets segment, Helvetia offers tailored special insurance and reinsurance cover worldwide. With a business volume of CHF 11.1 billion, Helvetia generated IFRS net income after tax of CHF 614.4 million in the 2022 financial year. The shares of Helvetia Holding AG are traded on SIX Swiss Exchange. 

Cautionary note 
This document was prepared by Helvetia Group and may not be copied, altered, offered, sold or otherwise distributed to any other person by any recipient without the consent of Helvetia Group. The German version of this document is decisive and binding. Versions of the document in other languages are made available purely for information purposes. Although all reasonable effort has been made to ensure that the facts stated herein are correct and the opinions contained herein are fair and reasonable, where any information and statistics are quoted from any external source such information or statistics should not be interpreted as having been adopted or endorsed as accurate by Helvetia Group. Neither Helvetia Group nor any of its directors, officers, employees and advisors nor any other person shall have any liability whatsoever for loss howsoever arising, directly or indirectly, from any use of this information. The facts and information contained in this document are as up to date as is reasonably possible but may be subject to revision in the future. Neither Helvetia Group nor any of its directors, officers, employees or advisors nor any other person makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this document. 
This document may contain projections or other forward-looking statements related to Helvetia Group which by their very nature involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and there is a risk that predictions, forecasts, projections and other outcomes described or implied in forward-looking statements will not be achieved. We caution you that a number of important factors could cause results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements. These factors include: (1) changes in general economic conditions, in particular in the markets in which we operate; (2) the performance of financial markets; (3) changes in interest rates; (4) changes in currency exchange rates; (5) changes in laws and regulations, including accounting policies or practices; (6) risks associated with implementing our business strategies; (7) the frequency, magnitude and general development of insured events; (8) mortality and morbidity rates; (9) policy renewal and lapse rates as well as (10), the realisation of economies of scale as well as synergies. We caution you that the foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive; when evaluating forward-looking statements, you should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to Helvetia Group on the date of its publication and Helvetia Group assumes no obligation to update such statements unless otherwise required by applicable law.