Univé Transforms Its Workforce with AI and ChatGPT

Univé and AI: An Organizational Transformation

Univé, recognized as one of the largest cooperative insurers in the Netherlands, has embarked on an ambitious transformation by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its operations. The primary goal is to strengthen its core mission of helping its millions of members prevent risks before they occur. By adopting AI, Univé has not only deployed new technologies but has chosen to transform its organization by developing AI capabilities within its workforce. This means that every employee is trained to use AI safely, responsibly, and effectively. To achieve this goal, Univé has collaborated with OpenAI, integrating ChatGPT Enterprise as a secure platform that seamlessly fits into its governance.

Leadership and Innovation

Univé's transformation relies on strong and visionary leadership. The company does not view AI as a mere IT initiative but as a profound organizational change. Leaders have been encouraged to rethink the role of AI in their daily work and to foster innovation within their teams. Rather than focusing solely on product demonstrations, leadership sessions have been designed to challenge managers to consider how work might evolve and what role they would play in this transformation. Yous van Halder, Director of Data & AI at Univé, emphasizes that the company focuses on creating builders rather than solutions, thereby encouraging a culture of continuous innovation.

“Most organizations try to develop AI by building more solutions. We chose to develop AI by creating more builders.” — Yous van Halder, Director of Data & AI, Univé

Governance and Trust

For large-scale adoption to be possible, Univé established rigorous governance from the outset. This governance was not added later but integrated from day one to ensure responsible use of AI. This includes elements such as enterprise authentication, permission inheritance from connectors, privacy assessments, governance processes, security reviews, and principles of responsible AI. These measures ensure that AI is used responsibly and that employees can experiment with confidence. Governance, far from being a hindrance, has become a catalyst for innovation. Permissions are aligned with existing enterprise systems, preventing AI from accessing unauthorized information.

Employee Momentum

With a solid governance framework and inspiring leadership, Univé employees have become the driving force behind AI adoption. The company has given its employees the freedom to rethink their work methods, using ChatGPT Enterprise to create customized solutions. Instead of requiring detailed business cases for every new idea, Univé has empowered employees with the permission, structure, and time needed to rethink their own work. Across the organization, employees collectively spend hundreds of hours each week redefining their work with ChatGPT Enterprise, building custom GPTs, experimenting with work agents, and sharing successful approaches with their colleagues. Approximately 1,500 custom GPTs have been developed, enabling employees to solve internal problems without waiting for centralized projects.

“Our competitive advantage is not that we use AI. It’s that thousands of employees are learning to reinvent their own work every week.” — Yous van Halder, Director of Data & AI, Univé

Concrete Applications of AI

A striking example of AI use at Univé is in the management of pet insurance claims. An AI work agent can prepare a claims file in just a few minutes, allowing managers to focus on analyzing cases rather than collecting data. Work that previously took hours to prepare can now be ready for decision-making in minutes. Instead of spending time gathering, reading, and structuring evidence, claims professionals start with a well-prepared file and can focus on applying their expertise. It is important to note that the trained claims professional remains fully responsible for each final decision. AI prepares the work; people make the decision.

Underwriting is another high-value application. Before an underwriter starts their day, a work agent reviews the incoming workload, combines information from approved enterprise sources, identifies missing documentation, flags risk indicators, and highlights cases requiring priority attention. When the underwriter logs in, the workload is already structured. Each case includes relevant context, evidence behind recommendations, and specific areas where professional judgment is needed. Instead of spending valuable time searching for information and assembling files, underwriters can focus on making higher quality and faster decisions.

Ongoing Exploration

Univé does not stop there. The company is exploring new ways to integrate AI into its processes, including through work agents that automate recurring tasks. These agent-based workflows are designed to proactively prepare recurring work across approved enterprise systems, gathering information, highlighting relevant context, and creating evidence-based starting points before employees begin their day. Each new application continues to be evaluated within the framework of corporate governance to ensure that safety, accountability, and responsible AI remain at the heart of adoption.

Results and Adoption

The adoption of ChatGPT Enterprise by Univé is impressive: 97% of licenses are activated, and 85% of users are active each week. Employees generate an average of 40 queries per active user each week, demonstrating that AI has become an essential tool in their daily work. Employees have created approximately 1,500 custom GPTs tailored to internal workflows. Pet insurance claims that previously took hours to prepare can now be ready for decision-making in minutes, while maintaining full responsibility for each final decision by claims professionals. AI adoption is now extending to virtually all knowledge-based functions within the organization. Underwriters start their day with prepared workloads, allowing them to spend less time gathering information and more time making high-quality decisions. Employees are increasingly solving operational challenges themselves instead of relying on lengthy software projects or scarce specialized resources. Internal conversations have shifted from “Should we use AI?” to “What should we build next?”

Lessons and Insights

Univé has drawn several lessons from this transformation. AI must be treated as an organizational capability, not just a technology. Governance should be integrated from the beginning to encourage responsible innovation. Investing in leaders is as crucial as investing in technology, as leadership creates the conditions for transformation. It is also important to give employees the permission, time, and structure to redefine their own work.

Towards a New Operational Model

Univé envisions the future with the idea that AI will become an integral part of its operational model. The goal is to enable employees to collaborate with AI to enhance the quality and accessibility of services while preserving the importance of human judgment in critical decisions. The organization’s ambition is not merely broader adoption of AI but a new operational model in which AI becomes an integral part of how work is done. By allowing employees to use and build with AI responsibly, Univé aims to enhance the quality and accessibility of its services, create more value for its members, improve prevention, and give professionals more space to apply their expertise where human judgment and personal attention are most important. Yous van Halder summarizes this vision by stating that AI will not replace employees, but those who know how to use it will redefine the organization’s capabilities.