Amica Insurance has partnered with ZestyAI, the leader in climate risk analytics powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Amica will integrate ZestyAI’s predictive wildfire risk analytics solution, Z-FIRE™, into its homeowners product line.
With Z-FIRE™, Amica has access to a powerful AI model that offers a precise wildfire risk score for individual properties, which offers a much more accurate risk metric to inform underwriting and rating than traditional models. The integration of Z-FIRE™ into Amica’s homeowners products allows it to more confidently write policies, despite increasing wildfire risk in recent years. Z-FIRE™ will be used in any state where there’s a need to better understand wildfire risk.
“With the devastating wildfires in the U.S. in recent years, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to accurately predict and price wildfire risk in those regions,” said B.J. Pitts, Senior Assistant Vice President at Amica. “A modern solution like Z-FIRE™ allows us to leverage the power of AI to generate a clear picture of not only how likely it is that a home might be exposed to a wildfire, but also the probability of its damage. This allows us to confidently offer coverage for homes that may have previously been declined.”
Z-FIRE™ is an AI model trained on more than 1,400 wildfire events across more than 20 years of historical loss data. It considers property-level features that influence risk, such as topography, historical climate data and critical factors extracted from high-resolution imagery such as building materials and surrounding vegetation in multiple defensible spaces. This empowers insurers with a true property-level risk score that effectively splits risk, while providing the flexibility to recognize mitigation efforts by homeowners and their respective communities. Z- FIRE™ gives Amica’s customers broader access to coverage and premiums that reflect mitigation efforts, while simultaneously helping the company avoid claims losses, underwrite and rate policies more effectively, and streamline risk assessment.
“Unfortunately, 2021 has been a challenging wildfire season in the western U.S., so it’s imperative that insurance carriers embrace modern technology to enhance their understanding of wildfire risk, and how to effectively communicate that risk to homeowners,” said Attila Toth, Founder & CEO of ZestyAI. “Amica has always been known for its forward-thinking approach, and we’re honored to help them harness the power of AI to gain deeper insights into climate risk at the individual property level, while rewarding homeowners for mitigation efforts.”
For more information on Z-FIRE™ and ZestyAI’s other solutions, please visit www.zesty.ai.
About ZestyAI
Increasingly frequent natural disasters have impacted communities and drove $2.2 Trillion in economic losses over the past decade. ZestyAI uses 200Bn data points, including aerial imagery, and artificial intelligence to assess the impact of climate change one building at a time. ZestyAI has partnered with leading insurance companies and property owners to help them protect homes, businesses and support thriving communities. ZestyAI was named Top 100 Most Innovative AI Company in the world by CB Insights in2020, and Gartner Cool Vendor in Insurance by Gartner Research in 2019. For more information visit: https://www.zesty.ai/.
About Amica Mutual Insurance
Amica is the longest-standing mutual insurer of automobiles in the U.S. A direct writer, Amica also offers home, life, marine and umbrella insurance, as well as annuities. Founded on the principles of outstanding service, Amica creates peace of mind and builds enduring relationships with its customers. That mission is shared and supported by thousands of employees across the country.