The Dos and Don'ts when working with Gen AI
Setting a foundation by understanding how Gen AI works will ensure personal, client, and agency information is protected.
Protect your data
Information input into Gen AI is saved to improve the AI's accuracy over time. Removing identifiable information (PII) like social security numbers, company names, or financial information, will ensure you keep sensitive information out of the software. For example, instead of saying “John’s Insurance Agency…”, just say “Company Y…”. This way, the system has the information it needs to help you craft content, while keeping it vague enough so it can’t be traced back.
Take a lesson learned from Samsung employees last year when they inadvertently leaked sensitive company data by entering code into ChatGPT. Because the large language models are created to generate responses to questions using learned data, Gen AI may expose confidential information unintentionally. While you may not be worried about code, agents deal with sensitive client information daily, so reading through the language or data you are entering into the system twice before hitting submit will help keep you on the safe side.
Pick a version to use
The ChatGPT-3.5 model – the free version currently available – can only pull information up to January 2022. So, if you are looking for timely research around last year’s hurricane data or auto insurance trends for example, Google will be a better resource. The ChatGPT-4 model ($20/month) is the paid version and can pull information up until mid-2023. Here is an example of a response you may get if you are looking for recent information. *Keep in mind these dates fluctuate as time passes.
Check for accuracy
Living in the digital age of fake images, constant fact-checking and endless online chatter, our society is becoming more familiar with checking multiple sources for accurate information or second-guessing news that may pop up on Facebook or Instagram feeds. Gen AI is no different.
Gen AI can sometimes make things up, this is called a hallucination. New research found chatbots invent information at least 3 percent of the time — and as high as 27 percent. For example, a lawyer for a man suing an airline in a routine personal injury suit used Gen AI to prepare a filing, but the bot delivered cases that didn’t exist which the attorney then presented to the court. This mistake could have been easily caught with some quick research online to confirm accuracy.
Avoid unintentional plagiarism
Although Gen AI can create initial drafts or provide ideas, it’s up to the user to review and edit the content to incorporate insights, ideas, and expertise. Tailor the content to your unique perspective and voice, making sure it matches your intentions.
Gen AI can help craft content or brainstorm new ideas, but it’s up to the user to keep sensitive data out of the system, confirm accuracy, and personalize responses.
How to write a good prompt
Now that we have some understanding of ways Gen AI works, and security advisories to be aware of, let’s have some fun.
Writing a good prompt – the keywords and phrases you enter in Gen AI to spark a reply – can take some practice. Insurance agents are seeing results by being specific in their prompts, setting the stage and providing context, telling the software who it is (like an insurance agent with 15+ years of experience) to set the scene, and staying conversational, writing feedback and making clarifying statements to see the result you want.
Some of the most popular ways agencies are using Gen AI today is to help create content like social media posts, or crafting client e-mails. Here are three prompt examples independent agents are using to show how much detail goes into writing a prompt to get the best response possible, and the conversation that follows to fine tune the response to your liking.
Definitions
Artificial intelligence (AI):
The practice of getting machines to mimic human intelligence to perform tasks.
Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI):
A type of artificial intelligence technology that can produce various types of content, including text, imagery, audio, and synthetic data.
ChatGPT-3:
ChatGPT-3 is a free chatbot developed by OpenAI and launched on November 30, 2022. Based on a large language model, it enables users to refine and steer a conversation towards a desired length, format, style, level of detail, and language.
ChatGPT-4:
ChatGPT-4 is an upgraded plan with a monthly fee. It solves difficult problems with greater accuracy, due to its broader general knowledge and problem-solving abilities.
ChatGPT File Uploader:
A Chrome extension that allows you to upload large files to chat.openai.com in smaller chunks. Once the plugin is installed, you can upload documents in ChatGPT.
DALL-E:
A text-to-image model developed by OpenAI for AI-generated art. Available for paid subscriptions only via ChatGPT-4.
OpenAI:
An AI research and deployment company
Machine learning:
The use and development of computer systems that can learn and adapt without following explicit instructions, by using algorithms and statistical models to analyze and draw inferences from patterns in data.
Prompt:
A prompt consists of keywords and phrases meant to spark a reply. You feed ChatGPT a question or instruction and it will respond as though in a conversation. You can continue the conversation by providing another query or directive that builds on the response.
Additional resources
Gaya
AI copilot for insurance Gaya AI
GAIL – Generative AI For Insurance GAIL
Generative AI by LULA
How insurance agents are using ChatGPT:
1. Blog ideas. Gen AI can help kick off the writing process by brainstorming headline or subject line ideas, key points, or build an outline. Once the software responds, continue the conversation to improve responses as the best response may surface after going back and forth 3-4 times. *Notice we didn’t include the agency name or any specific details to protect our identity.
Prompt example: You are an insurance agent with twenty years of experience in the field. Your insurance agency is in Cincinnati, Ohio and you want to reach more potential customers in the Cincinnati region. You want to create a blog to attract people to your agency website and increase SEO. Your insurance agency focuses on personal lines of business and specializes in home and auto insurance. Please provide five blog ideas to showcase your agency as an industry leader.
Once Gen AI responds, follow up with more questions, ask for more detail, or refine your question to get a more tailored response.
Prompt response example: I like this title, "Navigating Auto Insurance in Cincinnati: What You Need to Know", can you provide 4 more title options around this theme? Keep options to 10 words or less and include some catchy phrases to intrigue potential clients that will see this blog. Make sure the SEO is strong.
2. Social media content. Either from a theme you already have, or to brainstorm new ideas. Unique, creative content can help build a brand’s reputation, establish trust, increase engagement, and drive more people to your website. *Customize prompts based on your agency's personality and style.
Prompt example: I am an insurance agent that runs an agency with 15 employees. Located in Atlanta, GA we have a regional customer base. Summer is right around the corner, and I want to create some LinkedIn posts from our company page that are fun and lighthearted, while still including a hint of insurance humor. Please provide 5 ideas.
Prompt response example: The “Summer Storms? We've Got Your Umbrella… Policy!”, social media caption is good, expand on this idea to include 1-2 more sentences of information around umbrella policies. How can this independent agent provide more information to inform their audience as an expert in the insurance industry.
Here is the response:
3. Craft a client e-mail. Gen AI can be your next best work friend to bounce ideas off of and to jumpstart the writing process. *Remember it’s best to never take a response verbatim, adjust to make it personalized for better performance.
Prompt example: Write an email to explain why a hard insurance market affects insurance rates. The email is coming from an independent insurance agent and is being sent to their clients. The email should be between 5-8 sentences in length, should be straightforward, and captivating so the audience stays engaged.
Here is the response:
Your new work buddy
New technology can be overwhelming, but with the right resources and an adventurous spirit, agents can use Gen AI to their advantage to improve workflows and curate trusted content, building brand awareness, and increasing efficiency. Have a great way you or your agency are using Gen AI to help the business? We would love to hear from you! Drop us a message on LinkedIn.
Interested in hearing more? Sign up for Vertafore’s webinar on May 15th at 2:00 PM ET: