Allstate CEO Says Bots Write Better Customer Emails Than Humans

The top executive of Allstate Corp. said the company’s 15,000 customer service agents now use artificial intelligence to craft emails to customers about claims, a move that has led to better outcomes and reduces demand for new hires.

“Did I go and fire 100 people because of it? No. Do I need to hire less people because they don’t have to spend time writing bad emails? Yes,” Allstate Chief Executive Officer Tom Wilson said Thursday at a panel event hosted by the Executives’ Club of Chicago.

Wilson said the company started to make the change last year and now all ...