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Digital Edition5 Questions for MSIG USA’s Ron Morrison
Recently, Dan Reynolds, editor in chief of Risk & Insurance, caught up with Ron Morrison, the chief claims officer at MSIG USA. What follows is a transcript of that discussion, edited for length and clarity.
Risk & Insurance: Thanks for meeting with us, Ron. Having spent decades managing complex claims and leading claims organizations, how would you describe the biggest shifts happening in claims today?
Ron Morrison: The biggest change right now is the shift toward AI and claims transformation. From an operational point of view, change management comes first. For large claims organizations, the first aspect of AI and transformation is buy-in and trust. People need to understand the technology is there to make their job easier and more efficient, not replace them.
Much of what adjusters do today is administrative work. If AI can take some of that burden away, such as summarizing files or organizing documentation, it gives people more capacity to focus on evaluating claims and managing outcomes. When that happens, efficiency ultimately leads to better outcomes and lower-cost models.
R&I: Many carriers are racing to implement AI tools. What determines whether those initiatives actually succeed?
RM: It really comes down to training and adoption. You can’t just introduce AI and expect people to become more efficient. You have to show them how the tools fit into the work they already do.
Across the industry, that’s one of the biggest gaps right now. Organizations are rolling out AI, but not all organizations are teaching adjusters how to use them effectively.
When training is well executed, AI becomes a real productivity tool. It reduces administrative work, allowing adjusters to focus more on evaluating claims and interacting with the insured.
R&I: Where are you already seeing AI make the biggest difference inside claims operations?
RM: One of the biggest benefits is the ability to analyze large amounts of information quickly. Claims files, especially on the casualty side where there are multiple inputs and evolving dynamics, can be very complex.
AI is helping bring structure and clarity to that information earlier in the lifecycle of a claim. It allows adjusters to get to a more informed starting point faster, which ultimately supports better evaluation and more consistent decision-making. It can also help identify patterns in the documentation that may indicate potential fraud, which is much harder to detect when you’re reviewing large volumes of records manually.
We’re also seeing a broader shift in the litigation environment. The plaintiff bar is increasingly using technology to advance cases more efficiently and at greater scale, and we’re seeing more litigation backed by private equity and third-party funding.
In response, insurers need to be equally equipped to evaluate claims with speed and precision. AI pays a role in that, but is still a tool that supports the adjuster, not a substitute for judgment.
The real value comes from how it enhances the adjuster’s ability to assess a claim and engage more effectively throughout the process. It allows our team to spend less time organizing information and more time focused on communication and outcomes.
R&I: With all this new technology entering the process, what parts of claims handling still depend on human judgment?
RM: Negotiation is the biggest example. AI can analyze a claim and provide deeper insight, but it can’t negotiate or manage relationships.
Claims is a people business. The interaction with the insured, the attorney and the broker all matter. One thing we emphasize internally is “talk more, type less.” If AI handles more of the documentation and analysis, adjusters can spend more time engaging with people and managing the claim itself.
We are also using data to evaluate claims at a more granular level, aggregating it and segregating it. When we share that data with brokers, and they, in turn, share it with their insured, it can support loss mitigation at a much higher level.
R&I: As claims organizations adopt these new tools and workflows, what will separate the ones that manage claims most effectively?
RM: From a claim standpoint, the most significant opportunity is becoming more proactive earlier in the life of a claim. Litigation management is your best risk management strategy. As claims become more complex and more closely managed, the timing of decisions can have a significant impact on how a claim ultimately develops. The longer a claim progresses without clear direction, the more variables are introduced, whether that is increased legal activity, shifting narratives, or additional costs.
That doesn’t mean there’s a one-size-fits-all approach. Every claim needs to be evaluated on its own merits. But having data-driven insight gives us confidence to act decisively, which can materially influence outcomes.
AI can support that early evaluation by helping teams analyze claims faster and identify key issues sooner. It also strengthens collaboration between claims and underwriting, giving underwriting teams earlier visibility into claim activity so they can better understand the potential impact and manage risk more proactively.
This visibility allows underwriting teams to better assess performance over time and incorporate those insights into future decisions. It strengthens alignment between underwriting and claims, creating a more proactive and coordinated approach to managing risk.
At MSIG USA, that connectivity is central to how we deliver for our clients, enabling more informed decisions and a more consistent experience across the lifecycle of the account. &
