This year’s Dive In Festival to focus on the human factor when it comes to AI

Thousands of insurance professionals are joining the 12th Dive In Festival as the industry turns its attention to how artificial intelligence can be adopted while maintaining workplace culture, trust and human connections.

Running over three days under the theme “The Human gAIn: Powering Culture & Connection”, the festival will examine the impact of AI on culture, talent and inclusion, with sessions taking place across markets including Argentina, Italy, the US, Mexico, Canada, Singapore, Spain, Australia and the UK.

The programme includes discussions on caregiving, neurodiversity, accessibility, uncertainty and collective courage, alongside sessions focused on AI adoption, productivity, decision-making and new ways of working.

Since launching in 2015, Dive In has delivered more than 1,000 events across more than 40 countries and engaged nearly 200,000 people, organisers said.

Sessions in Argentina, Italy and the USA will explore topics including caregiving and neurodiversity, while Mexico will host a session on transforming uncertainty into connection and collective courage. The festival will also host a range of experts and industry leaders including former England rugby world cup winner Will Greenwood and comedian and TV executive Cally Beaton in the UK, and renowned artist Sarah Rowan in Australia. 

In Canada, paralympian Jessica Lewis will explore discussions around accessibility, while in Singapore Matthew Tan, chief architect at Microsoft Singapore, will examine how AI can enhance productivity, support better decision-making and unlock new ways of work. 

In Spain, IBM chief operating officer Ignacio Del Pozo will lead a hands-on workshop to explore how to build trust, bridge generational gaps, and share practical insights on AI adoption, with similar topics being explored by AI experts Toju Duke, founder & CEO of Bedrock AI, and Sue Turner, founding director of AI Governance, speaking at the UK opening and closing events, respectively.

The festival will also focus on workplace issues including menopause, mental health, domestic abuse and neurodiversity. A 2022 session on managing menopause was followed by the introduction of workplace menopause policies, with 70% of firms in the Lloyd’s market now having such policies.

Dive In’s 2019 events on domestic abuse were followed by the implementation of domestic abuse policies at 40% of firms in the Lloyd’s market, while its introduction of neurodiversity as a festival topic contributed to the adoption of workplace adjustments including skills-based assessments, noise-cancelling headphones and quiet sensory rooms, organisers said.

The festival has also provided a platform for workplace discussions in markets where they had not previously been prominent within the insurance sector, including female empowerment in Saudi Arabia and paternity leave in Japan.

The Lloyd’s Market Policies and Practices Return showed that ethnic diversity in the market has improved and is now representative of UK working-age populations, while diversity monitoring has also improved.

The Culture Survey found that 87% of employees agreed their organisation was genuinely committed to a fair, diverse and inclusive culture, said organisers.

Nick Line, chief underwriting officer at CFC and chair of Dive In, said: “What has always made Dive In unique is its ability to bring the industry together. Organisations that compete every day have put those differences aside to tackle shared cultural challenges at a market-wide and global level – achieving far more collectively than any one organisation could alone.

“As we look to the future, that spirit of collaboration is something we must carry forward. The workplace will continue to evolve, but our ability to come together, share ideas and learn from one another will remain essential to building stronger cultures across our industry.”

Dom Christian, chairman AON UK, said: “When Dive In began, many of these conversations simply weren’t happening in our industry. Today, they are part of everyday business discussion. Its impact can be seen in the organisations that changed policies, the leaders who thought differently and, importantly, the conversations that continued long after each festival ended. That progress is something everyone involved in Dive In can be incredibly proud of – and it gives us a strong foundation to keep building on.”

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