Machine Learning With Certainty: Surex's Intelligent Step Forward

ICMLA 2018 aims to bring together researchers and practitioners, from around the world, to present their latest achievements and innovations in the area of machine learning. Researchers and practitioners, from an array of industries, will share how algorithms and systems they've created have worked in real world applications.

Dr. Chalmers, representing Surex, Canada's fastest growing insurance company, will be addressing how his artificial intelligence algorithm influences decision making and helps avoid the potential for costly human errors.

"At Surex, we use A.I. to automate many tasks. In some tasks, an error would be very costly,'' Dr. Chalmers stated. ''If the A.I. program isn't 100% confident in its decision, we don't want its best guess; we want it to say 'I'm not sure' and refer the case back to staff. Current A.I. technology has several limitations that make this style of human-machine cooperation difficult, so we created a new algorithm that would work for us.''

One thing that is especially unique about Dr. Chalmers' position at Surex is he's a full-time, salaried employee for Surex. While other insurance companies may look to purchase A.I. or machine learning products, Surex co-founders Lance Miller & Matt Alston took it upon themselves to hire a data scientist to custom build programs, as they seek to enhance their industry-leading customer proposition.

"The problem with purchasing solutions 'out of the box' is they don't allow for differentiation in the marketplace,'' Miller, CEO of Surex, said. ''Dr. Chalmers understands our insurance business, our goals, and the direction we are heading. This allows him to build A.I. solutions that are tailored to our business needs, rather than us tailoring our business needs to an 'out of the box' solution.''

Moving forward, Surex will introduce ''Pulse'', an A.I. solution that will be the most advanced way to monitor insurance premiums, in 2019.

''We recognize how competitive our industry has become and making investments in A.I. will allow us to do more with less,'' Alston, COO of Surex, said. ''Traditional processes will not have the ability to exceed the expectations of modern consumers. Using intelligence in the renewal and shopping experience is where we hope to bring some disruption."

If you're attending ICMLA 2018, Dr. Chalmers will be speaking during the 2:00pm - 3:20pm block in Plaza E at the Hyatt Regency, Orlando, FL on Tuesday, December 18th.

About Surex

Surex placed 22nd on the 2018 Growth 500 Canada list, by Canadian Business & Mclean's, recognizing the top revenue growth companies in Canada over the last five years. They were the highest ranked company in their home province of Alberta.

Surex placed 30th on the 2016 Startup 50 Canada list, by Canadian Business & PROFIT, recognizing Canada's fastest growing startups.

Surex is the only insurance brokerage in Canada to feature in the top 5 on both the 2017 & 2018 Insurance Business Canada rankings for the Top Brokerage in Canada.

Since inception in 2012, Surex has grown its book of business to over $65 million in annual insurance premiums. Surex offers personal lines insurance in six provinces and two territories.