Manulife Named #1 Life Insurer for AI Maturity for Second Consecutive Year by Evident
Rhea-AI Summary
Manulife (TSX/NYSE/PSE:MFC) was ranked the #1 life insurer for AI maturity for a second year in the 2026 Evident AI Index for Insurance, is the top insurer in Canada, and ranks third overall.
According to Manulife, AI initiatives are expected to generate over $1 billion in enterprise value by 2027, with $300 million realized by year-end 2025 and a 41% year-on-year increase in AI talent.
Positive
- Recognized as #1 life insurer for AI maturity for second straight year
- Ranked top insurer in Canada and third overall in 2026 Evident AI Index
- AI initiatives expected to generate over $1 billion enterprise value by 2027
- Reported $300 million in enterprise value from AI as of year-end 2025
- AI talent pool grew by 41% year-over-year
- MAUDE in Canada automates over half of eligible life applications in about two minutes
Negative
- None.
News Market Reaction – MFC
On the day this news was published, MFC gained 0.93%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Previous AI Reports
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 10 | AI platform partnership | Positive | +1.1% | Selected Akka to operationalize agentic AI and reiterated $1B+ AI value goal. |
| Dec 22 | AI RL partnership | Positive | +1.0% | Signed multi-year deal with Adaptive ML to scale reinforcement-learning for AI. |
| Oct 22 | AI safety sponsorship | Positive | +0.3% | Sponsored The Hinton Lectures™ on AI safety, reinforcing Responsible AI focus. |
| Jun 23 | AI maturity ranking | Positive | +2.1% | Named #1 life insurer for AI maturity in inaugural Evident AI Index. |
| May 22 | Responsible AI principles | Positive | +0.6% | Showcased Responsible AI Principles and extensive GenAI use cases and staffing. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Past AI-related announcements for MFC have consistently coincided with modest positive price reactions, suggesting investors have historically responded constructively to AI strategy and execution updates.
Over the past year, Manulife has repeatedly highlighted its AI strategy. Prior AI news included partnerships to scale its enterprise AI platform, sponsorship of The Hinton Lectures™ on AI safety, and the initial Evident AI Index recognition on Jun 23, 2025. Those events produced positive moves between 0.31% and 2.09%. Today’s renewed top ranking and quantified value expectations extend this pattern of emphasizing AI maturity and execution.
Key Terms
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AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
C$ unless otherwise stated TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945
Named top insurer in
underscoring Manulife's strategic priority to be an AI-powered organization
"We're proud to be named the number one life insurer for AI maturity for the second year in a row – and are now a top three company overall. This is a powerful validation of Manulife's refreshed enterprise strategy, and our commitment to being an AI-powered organization globally," said Phil Witherington, President and CEO, Manulife. "As we continue to scale, we are focused on disciplined execution and responsible deployment. We expect to generate more than
According to Evident, Manulife has disclosed the deployment of more use cases than any other insurer across the Index. This deployment over the past year reflects a continuous focus on prioritizing AI solutions that deliver measurable outcomes, including the Manulife Automated Underwriting Decision Engine (MAUDE) in
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The Evident AI Index for Insurance assesses AI maturity across 30 of the most prominent insurance companies in
Manulife ranked first in the Leadership pillar and with strong scores in Transparency, with Evident citing the company's consistent executive engagement, industry influence, and transparent approach.
"This recognition reflects the depth of AI integration across Manulife and the deliberate way we are scaling its impact," said Jodie Wallis, Global Chief AI Officer, Manulife. "Our focus is on practical, responsible applications of AI that deliver measurable outcomes, underpinned by strong governance that is increasingly automated and embedded into how AI is developed and used. Being recognized among industry leaders in AI maturity reflects the sustained progress our teams are making as we evolve from adoption to consistent, enterprise-wide execution."
"Manulife ranks first amongst life insurers in the Evident AI Index for Insurance for the second year running, reflecting its ability to build AI capability around the workflows that matter most," said Alexandra Mousavizadeh, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Evident. "Manulife shows a deliberate approach towards building AI capacity, growing the AI talent pool by
These results demonstrate the consistency and scale with which Manulife is putting AI into practice across the enterprise. Guided by its refreshed Enterprise Strategy and Responsible AI Principles, the company is embedding AI into day-to-day work to simplify processes, improve decision making and deliver better outcomes for customers, advisors and colleagues.
To learn more about Manulife's approach to artificial intelligence, visit manulife.com/AI. The full 2026 Evident AI Insurance Index report and methodology are available at evidentinsights.com.
Caution regarding forward-looking statements
This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbour" provisions of Canadian provincial securities laws and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to Manulife's use of its digital capabilities and the expected benefits it expects to realize from AI. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include but are not limited to general business and economic conditions; changes in laws and regulations with respect to the use of AI-enabled tools; our ability to execute our digital plans and to deploy future digital use cases; our ability to adapt products and services to the changing market; our ability to attract and retain key employees and our ability to protect our intellectual property and exposure to claims of infringement from others. Additional information about material risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations may be found in our most recent annual and interim reports and elsewhere in our filings with Canadian and U.S. securities regulators.
The forward-looking statements in this document are, unless otherwise indicated, stated as of the date hereof. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
About Manulife
Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Anchored in our ambition to be the number one choice for customers, we operate as Manulife across Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, providing financial advice, insurance and health solutions for individuals, groups and businesses. Through Manulife Wealth & Asset Management, we offer global investment solutions, financial advice, and retirement plan services to individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2025, we had more than 37,000 employees, over 106,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 37 million customers with operations across 25 markets globally. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and Philippine stock exchanges, and under '945' on the Hong Kong stock exchange.
Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com.
Media Contact
Gina Simonis
617-840-4794
GSimonis@Manulife.com
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SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation