Conversations typically begin with a brief discussion to confirm alignment, understand priorities, and determine whether partnership is appropriate and timely.

Initial discussions are exploratory and designed to ensure clarity, fit, and shared understanding before any commitments are considered.

The British philosopher and aristocrat Sir Francis Bacon first coined the euphemism “information is power” to express his feeling that science brings humans closer to understanding the world around them.

The phrase, now more often spoken as “knowledge is power,” comes in handy when characterizing how an abundance of facts enables individuals, teams and companies to better control their destiny. It’s an idea the three winners of the 2025 Workers’ Comp Risk Management Award for Excellence — the City of San Diego, the State of Arizona and Save Mart Companies — know well as each of them capitalizes on data about workers, jobsites and workplace injuries in order to better prevent such costly mishaps and better manage them when they do occur.

In fact, data is now the fuel that propels insurance forward. Data allows insurers to assess risk and execute underwriting processes more effectively than ever before. It helps boost fraud detection, expedites claims, personalizes policyholder experiences and supports thorough regulatory compliance.

The rise of artificial intelligence only makes these trends more pronounced.

“From property risk to credit scoring, the industry evolves through data,” Gregg Barrett, founder and CEO of The Waterstreet Company, wrote in a January 2025 commentary published on PropertyCasualty360.com. “But nothing has even come close to changing insurance as much as AI.”

Editor-in-Chief Elana Ashanti Jefferson