AI’s biggest figurehead just made a huge prediction.

If you thought 2024 was a rollercoaster ride, buckle up—because 2025 is shaping up to make last year look tame.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, recently predicted that artificial general intelligence (AGI) could arrive as early as 2025. If he’s right, this will drastically change how industries—especially insurance—operate.

For leaders in commercial insurance, here’s what matters most:

Massive Funding, Massive Potential

OpenAI raised $6.6 billion last year at a valuation of $157 billion. This level of capital signals intense focus on speeding up AI research and building out massive computational capabilities.

Downstream Effects on Insurance

With AI powering more processes, underwriting and risk management will become more efficient and data-driven. When it comes to operational tasks, nearly all “knowledge work” in the field of insurance has the potential to be handled more efficiently and effectively with AI. This allows brokers to do even more of what they do best- build meaningful relationships, and simplify the complexity of insurance for their clients.

OpenAI’s API and Orchestration Layers

OpenAI’s platform lets users train custom models without heavy lifting. By providing just a few examples of instruction data, OpenAI demonstrated how users can get massive improvements in the performance of models with relatively little effort. Orchestration layers then enable complex agent workflows—great news for commercial insurance agencies looking to handle unique service and production tasks. Altman’s prediction: “We believe that, in 2025, we may see the first AI agents ‘join the workforce’ and materially change the output of companies.”

Why This Matters for Commercial Insurance Leaders

In a world where AGI could be just around the corner, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. As regulatory and market landscapes shift, being agile, informed, and ready to invest in AI will separate the winners from the rest.

The Build vs Buy Dynamic

Deciding whether to build in-house AI tools or buy from established vendors is more critical than ever. On the one hand, rapid advances in AI—as well as cheaper, faster development cycles—make it increasingly feasible to spin up in-house solutions. On the other hand, without a robust AI team, the steep learning curve and ongoing need for specialized talent can be daunting. By partnering with AI-focused companies and startups, agencies can leverage cutting-edge capabilities and economies of scale, translating into lower upfront costs, faster deployment, and meaningful savings passed directly to the business.

Sam Altman’s bold prediction underscores the urgency for insurance leaders to get on board. In simple terms: AI is here, it’s powerful, and it’s evolving quickly. Smart investments in AI platforms and orchestration now could be the difference between leading the pack—or being left behind.

At LightDoc, we’re more excited than ever to leverage these coming advancements in AI to create more meaningful outcomes for our customers. We will continue to keep our community informed on the latest breakthroughs and what they mean for the insurance industry. Here’s to an exciting, and innovative 2025!