Inside Allianz’s Award Winning AI Upskilling Initiative

Allianz has been awarded an International Brilliance Award for AI skill-building and digital capability development, as recognition for its ‘Global AI Run’ initiative. 

The global AI run was developed by the company to transition AI into the business, with daily practical use across global operations to drive productivity and increase business readiness. 

Using webinars with AI experts, role-based learning pathways and practical AI application, it has now reached more than 144,000 Allianz employees across more than 70 countries. 

Bettina Dietsche, Group Chief People and Culture Officer of Allianz, says of the Initiative on LinkedIn:  “This recognition reflects what the Global AI Run stands for at Allianz: making AI real. Not theoretical. Not exclusive. But practical, inclusive and impact driven. 

“The programme empowers colleagues to use AI with confidence, accelerates the adoption of our AI tools and enables teams to develop concrete solutions that improve their day-to-day work. 

“Today, the Global AI Run, a perfect symbiosis of Allianz and Allianz Technology, is a cornerstone of how we develop digital and AI capabilities across Allianz.” 

AI growth across Allianz

According to Manuela Diviach, Head of Group Operations, Procurement and Organisation at Allianz, the company is taking “a disciplined approach to prioritising innovative AI projects, guided by the core principle of value creation”. 

This includes AllianzGPT, which works similarly to other chatbots while integrating specific internal content such as document analysis and actionable insights. 

Allianz has also developed an agentic AI solution, referred to as Project Nemo. The company uses this solution to automate and accelerate the processing of low-complexity insurance claims. According to Allianz, Nemo has led to an 80% reduction in claim process and settlement time.

Manuela says that the success the company has seen with its new AI tools is a product of widespread employee adoption, thanks to the company’s ‘measured’ approach to AI.

She says: “We're taking a careful, measured approach to ensure the business and our people fully understand how these tools can support and empower them. 

“This is why we also offer a wide range of learning opportunities around AI for our people, like the AI Run, the Data Excellence program, or our Fit4IT initiative.”

Employee development programmes

Allianz has been focused on a mass-scale upskilling strategy as it looks to develop and empower a future-ready workforce. 

Alongside its AI runs, the company has developed leadership-focused AI training, which asks people leaders and senior executives to integrate AI into their business strategies. 

For more technical roles such as AI Engineers and Data Analysts, Allianz has partnered with Sorbonne University to deliver a nine-month training programme that has been designed to help employees develop practical industrial knowledge. 

Isabelle Kokoschka, Global Head of Learning and Skill Management at Allianz, says of the company’s AI upskilling strategy: “Our AI training programmes range from foundational AI literacy and generative AI ethics to topics like advanced prompting and machine learning,” 

“Employees can upskill at their own pace based on their level of interest and experience. There is a structured learning matrix – starting with AI fundamentals, progressing through machine learning and culminating in leadership-level AI strategy and business integration.