A.G. Gancarski
Floridians who want humans to assess their need for home repairs after a hurricane are cheering a move by the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee.
The panel approved a Sen. Jennifer Bradley bill (SB 794) that would restrict the use of artificial intelligence, mandating manual review of claim denials by a “qualified human professional” who is compelled to sign off on the refusal to pay out.
“The bill emphasizes the need for human oversight in the decision-making process by providing the insurer’s decision to deny claim or any portion of a claim must be made by a human being,” Bradley said.
“The bill provides that an artificial intelligence system may not serve as the sole basis for determining whether to deny a claim, that denial under the insurance code must be reviewed and decided by a qualified human professional. While AI can improve efficiency and accuracy in certain cases, the bill seeks to mitigate risks related to potential inaccuracies and biases.”
The Florida Medical Association and Insurance Consumer Advocate Tasha Carter are among those supporting the bill.
The bill from Bradley, a Clay County Republican, has two committee stops ahead. She said it will “strike the right balance between allowing innovation” and “protecting consumers from unaccountable algorithms.”
Bradley has two other insurance bills this Session that haven’t moved yet.
SB 790 would protect people from having wind policies canceled in the event of flood damage from a hurricane.
SB 792 addresses the financial health of insurance companies. The bill would require the Office of Insurance Regulation to keep records of the “financial strength rating issued to each property insurer by an independent rating agency each calendar quarter during the reporting period.”
