Why Manulife leads Canadian insurers in AI adoption

Three Canadian life carriers ranked among the most mature adopters of artificial intelligence for a second time, according to a new study by Evident Insights. The firm benchmarks 30 of the largest insurers across North America and Europe on AI use.

Manulife topped the list of North American life insurers and took third place overall, up two spots from last year. Evident pointed to the carrier's use of adaptive questions to automatically approve eligible applications. The feature, launched in September 2025, doubled the insurer's instant approval rate and cut medical questions by up to 40%, Manulife said. Earlier this month, the company said it planned to roll out AI tools in Canada that were piloted under its John Hancock brand in the U.S.

Sun Life fell three places to 21st overall. Great-West Life stayed at 27th, last among its North American peers. Of the 30 insurers in the study, 10 are life carriers. Eight are headquartered in Canada or the U.S.

The life insurance category remains the lowest-scoring group overall compared to property and casualty (P&C) carriers and those active in both lines. The gap widened at the top: Manulife pulled further ahead while the lower end of the category barely moved.