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The recent news that Acrisure would be laying off about 400 employees in early 2026 in its accounting workforce due to advances in technology and artificial intelligence rattled a few nerves. It’s not surprising that advances in AI tools might reduce the need of some employees in the industry. AI has been cited as the reason for other significant layoffs this year, so why not insurance.

In September, Accenture announced a “restructuring plan” that includes exits for workers that aren’t able to reskill on AI.

Salesforce eliminated 4,000 customer support roles citing AI can do 50% of the work now.

But while AI is “killing jobs,” there is some evidence that when AI is focused on specific tasks within a job role, employment in that role can actually grow. That’s because with those specific tasks automated by AI, employees can then focus on activities where AI is less capable, such as critical thinking or idea generation.

That’s according to a recently released study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, “Artificial Intelligence and the Labor Market.” According to a recent article by Seb Murray, for MIT Management Sloan School’s Ideas Made to Matter, the study found that when AI can perform most of the tasks that make up a particular job, the share of people in that role within a company falls by about 14%. However, if AI is only concentrated in just a few tasks within a role–leaving other job responsibilities up to the worker–employment in that role can grow due to significant productivity boosts.

“Firms that adopt AI don’t necessarily need to shed workers; they can grow and make more stuff and use workers more efficiently than other firms,” said Lawrence Schmidt, MIT Sloan associate professor, co-author of the study, in the article.

The study, was co-authored by Schmidt, Menaka Hampole of the Yale School of Management, and Dimitris Papanikolaou and Bryan Seegmiller of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

“Employees may feel anxious about their roles as organizations adopt AI technologies,” wrote the authors of a recent study, “The future of AI in the insurance industry,” by McKinsey & Company. “However, history has shown that technology typically creates new needs and opportunities, leading to the emergence of different roles and responsibilities.” The authors advised employees that going forward it’s important to seek out the right skills and develop a clear understanding of AI’s enabling role in helping with their jobs.

How do you feel about the future of work in insurance with AI rushing through the door?