Latest Tech Headlines

All the headlines from our Tech Topic Page, ordered by recency.

A Case for Updated Insurance Licensing Exemption Regulations

May 6 2019 // Harken back to 2002 — a time when iPhones, Android phones, even Blackberries, had yet to be introduced. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were years away from their debuts, and streaming content on Netflix was still a...

Canadian Banks, Insurers Tap Blockchain Technology to Verify Client Identities

May 2 2019 // Canada is making a big leap in modernizing identity verification, tapping blockchain technology to let consumers digitally prove who they are to securely access banking and other personal services. SecureKey Technologies...

Insurtech Agency Nsure Launches Personal Lines Platform in Florida

May 2 2019 // Nsure, an all-digital licensed insurance agency based in Florida, has introduced technology to provide real-time quote comparisons for home and auto insurance through a digital platform that allows customers to purchase...

WTW Names Richardson UK & Ireland Leader, Insurance Consulting & Technology Unit

May 1 2019 // Willis Towers Watson announced that Tammy Richardson will take on the role of UK and Ireland leader for life and property & casualty in the company’s Insurance Consulting and Technology business. Richardson most...

Hartford InsurTech Hub Holds Demo Day, Completes Second Accelerator Program

Apr 30 2019 // Hartford InsurTech Hub, powered by Startupbootcamp, hosted its second Demo Day at the Bushnell Performing Arts Center in Hartford, Conn., on April 26. The InsurTech Accelerator is the first component of Hartford InsurTech...

Cannons, Networks, Radar, Jammers: The Business of Taking Down Drones

Apr 26 2019 // Just shoot them down? After troublesome drones infiltrated London’s Gatwick airport late last year, disrupting passenger flights and costing potentially millions of pounds in revenue, that was the instinctive...

Insurtech, Cover, Now Selling Its Own Auto Policies in Texas

Apr 25 2019 // Cover, a mobile-first insurance brokerage, has begun selling its own auto insurance policies in Texas. The new service — an evolution from the company’s nationally-licensed insurance brokerage — combines a...

Alphabet’s Wing Is First Commercial Drone Unit Certified as Airline

Apr 24 2019 // An offshoot of Alphabet Inc.’s Google has become the first drone operator to receive government approval as an airline, an important step that gives it the legal authority to begin dropping products to actual...

Techquake: The Biggest Threat to California’s Tech-Sector May Lie Directly Beneath its Feet

Apr 23 2019 // California’s technology sector has had a tough year with state and federal policymakers, to say nothing of the general public. Concerns about the size and scope of internet firms have led to a “techlash,”...

OnRamp Insurance Accelerator Seeking Applications from Fintech and Insurtech Startups

Apr 23 2019 // Minneapolis-St.Paul – April 23, 2019 – The OnRamp Insurance Accelerator, in partnership with Allianz Life, Securian Financial and gener8tor, is accepting applications from startups seeking to be a part of the...

Student Sues Apple for $1 Billion, Blames Face-Recognition Tech for False Arrest

Apr 23 2019 // Apple is being sued for $1 billion in damages by an 18-year-old college student who blames the company’s facial recognition software for his false arrest and for wrongly tying him to thefts at Apple stores in several...

Fight Against Floods Enlists Supercomputers, Drones, Sonar

Apr 22 2019 // An arsenal of new technology is being put to the test fighting floods this year as rivers inundate towns and farm fields across the central United States. Drones, supercomputers and sonar that scans deep under water are...

Hanover Offers Agents Small Business Platform Using CoverWallet Technology

Apr 17 2019 // The Hanover Insurance Group is debuting a digital platform to help independent agents acquire new small business customers including freelancers, contractors and other self-employed professionals. Calleed Insurago, the...

Americans Still Don’t Trust Autonomous Vehicles, Reuters Poll Shows

Apr 15 2019 // Half of U.S. adults think automated vehicles are more dangerous than traditional vehicles operated by people, while nearly two-thirds said they would not buy a fully autonomous vehicle, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos...

Young Agents Survey: What Young Agents Want

Apr 15 2019 // Young agents don’t always feel supported by their elder peers. They say training is sometimes lacking for newbies in the agency world. They don’t see enough diversity in leadership. And they continue to say...

Insurers Are Curious, Cautious When It Comes to Chatbots for Claims

Apr 15 2019 // The insurance industry is slowly recognizing the potential of chatbots to free up resources and improve customer service, even as it recognizes the potential of the technology to sour relationships with customers,...

Why Europe Should Not Force Talking Cars to Speak Same Language Now: Viewpoint

Apr 12 2019 // If you’ve bought a new car lately, chances are it has some basic communication skills. One day, cities and highways could be full of self-driving vehicles, all talking directly with each other to coordinate traffic...

How Real Are ‘Ethical Artificial Intelligence’ Efforts by Tech Giants?

Apr 11 2019 // The biggest tech companies want the public to know that they’re taking special care to ensure that their use of artificial intelligence to sift through mountains of data, analyze faces or build virtual assistants...

Insurtech Lemonade Raises $300 Million; SoftBank, Allianz, Alphabet Among Investors

Apr 11 2019 // Lemonade, the insurance company built around artificial intelligence and behavioral economics, announced the signing of a $300 million Series D funding round led by SoftBank Group with participation from Allianz, General...

Ant Financial Aims to Disrupt Health Insurance with New Chinese Health ‘Collective’

Apr 11 2019 // Billionaire Jack Ma’s Ant Financial has done more than perhaps any company to disrupt China’s gargantuan banking and asset-management industries. Now it’s trying to re-imagine health...