(Yicai) Sept. 2 -- Ping An Insurance’s systematic deployment of artificial intelligence systems over more than a decade has yielded tangible enterprise-level value by improving efficiency, cutting costs, and enhancing customer experience, according to the chief scientist at China's biggest insurer.

“Ping An has created significant enterprise-level value through the implementation of AI applications,” Xiao Jing, who leads AI tech research and development at the Shenzhen-based company, said in a recent interview with Yicai.

“By using Ping An’s AI tech infrastructure and its smart agent platform, the firm is systematically and comprehensively enhancing its overall work efficiency, while cutting operating costs and improving customer experience,” Xiao pointed out.

AI can also augment managers’ decision-making “wisdom,” helping them anticipate and be proactive, Xiao pointed out, adding that Ping An is building a complete, systematic, and proactively managed AI applications system that can absorb and incorporate the latest AI technologies at the fastest possible pace, thereby creating AI tech barriers and a moat for the company.

Furthermore, Ping An and its subsidiaries are refining the implementation of intelligent applications across many key business scenarios to maximize the value of each business, Xiao pointed out.

“By building smart agents, we have developed the ability to systematically implement AI tech, forming a systematic application ecosystem and application model,” Xiao said. Staff developed around 23,000 smart agents based on their specific work needs in the first half of this year, benefiting 110,000 employees, he added.

Every financial manager, insurance agent, and customer service specialist can "develop smart agents that benefit their work" using the company’s smart agent platform, assembling their own AI assistants like building Lego, Xiao said.

“This is like establishing an AI app store within the company,” Xiao  noted. "Financial workers can build smart agents relevant to their roles, while insurance agents can build them for operations, services, and risk control required for their jobs. Once an agent is developed, it can be used by colleagues across the company, eliminating the need for repeated development.”

During the development process, staff can easily access various tools on Ping An's smart agent platform, with the process itself presenting no technical challenges, according to Xiao.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev