On June 11th, the "2026 · 7th · Insurance Intermediary Development Summit" hosted by Jinri Bao was successfully held. The conference, themed "Evolution and Symbiosis," focused on the high-quality development path for the insurance intermediary sector. This summit attracted industry guests from insurance companies, intermediary institutions, and insurtech firms, establishing itself as one of the most influential annual gatherings in the insurance intermediary industry.
Waterdrop Inc. (NYSE: WDH) partner and General Manager of Waterdrop Insurance, Ran Wei, was invited to attend and deliver a keynote speech. Ran Wei stated that artificial intelligence is evolving into a new form of intelligent economy. Waterdrop Inc. is comprehensively transitioning its strategy towards becoming an "AI-Native Company." Through the self-built "Waterguard AI" operating system, the company has achieved a full-chain transformation of service segments including intelligent customer service, intelligent operations, intelligent marketing, and product innovation.
Currently, Waterdrop has established a "Model + Harness + Application" trinity operating system, which serves as the technical foundation for "Waterguard AI." The underlying layer is powered by a dual-engine of a general large language model and the self-developed "Waterdrop Waterguard Large Model." The middle layer constitutes Waterdrop's core moat—its Harness engineering capabilities. This framework has built six layers of engineering capabilities adapted to insurance scenarios, capable of translating complex policy clauses into AI-executable language, thereby qualifying the AI for "insurance service deployment."
Today, "Waterguard AI" has become the "central nervous system" of the business, driving the evolution of the entire insurance service process. In the intelligent customer service scenario, the AI customer service agent "Bao Xiaohui" achieves seamless integration of speech recognition, intent understanding, and transaction processing, truly realizing "conversation-as-transaction." Currently, the "Bao Xiaohui" telephone service handles over a million interactions monthly on average. Its service capability increased 40-fold within three months of launch, with an average voice response time of just 1.5 seconds, and a conversational rhythm approaching human levels.
In the insurance operations scenario, Waterdrop has self-developed an operations AI Agent, forming a closed loop covering the entire chain from "user analysis—pre-sales consultation—policy service—business strategy." Unlike traditional online operational robots that are "passive, mechanical, and one-size-fits-all," Waterdrop's intelligent operations AI Agent operates 24/7. It autonomously segments users, analyzes coverage gaps based on communication content and historical policy data, and automatically iterates based on operational data, becoming "smarter with use."
In the insurance marketing scenario, Waterdrop launched the AI Agent "Lobster Bao" to empower insurance agents, creating a dedicated "AI content production team" for each agent. This product features four core capabilities: first, automatic identification of live-stream highlights and intelligent editing; second, generating videos within 60 seconds based on trending topics or inspiration; third, assisting in writing high-engagement copy for precise user targeting; fourth, intelligently pushing professional graphics and text to empower daily business operations. Within just four weeks of launch, a single video from "Lobster Bao" achieved up to 300,000 organic views.
In the product innovation scenario, Waterdrop Insurance has built a content matrix including WeChat service accounts, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and video channels, establishing a multi-dimensional user insight and outreach network. Empowered by AI capabilities, the system can accurately identify and match vast amounts of user interaction information. With finer granularity, it uncovers the potential needs and differentiated coverage expectations of various segmented user groups, thereby customizing multiple innovative products with industry significance. In 2025, Waterdrop Insurance cumulatively launched 242 customized insurance products, including 57 products without health declarations and 221 senior-friendly products. It is gradually building an "Innovative Insurance Product Universe for Individuals with Pre-existing Conditions," enabling users of different ages and health statuses to find suitable insurance on the Waterdrop platform.
Strategic Elevation: From "AI Tool" to "AI Native"
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Waterdrop Inc. and the 9th anniversary of Waterdrop Insurance. "In the past, we were 'using AI tools.' Now, we are transforming into an 'AI-Native Company,'" stated the company. AI should not merely be a department or a tool within the company but should become the "nervous system" permeating the entire chain of product design, marketing, underwriting, service, and claims. This is an issue of organizational cognition, not just technical deployment.
In terms of R&D investment, Waterdrop Inc. invests nearly 300 million yuan annually. The company has applied for over 100 AI-related patents, including 72 related to large models. The AI R&D team members hail from top institutions such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Waterdrop's AI capabilities have also gained recognition from multiple quarters. In April of this year, "Waterguard AI" was selected as a demonstration case in the "14th Five-Year Plan" for Software and Information Technology Services by the China Software Industry Association. In May, Waterdrop's subsidiary, Beijing Waterguard Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., was selected for the Forbes China "3rd China Artificial Intelligence Technology Enterprise TOP50 – AI Rising Star Enterprise" list. Waterdrop's "Bao Xiaohui" and "KEYI.AI" were selected as typical cases in the "AI Insurance Industry Application Innovation White Paper" by Tsinghua University's PBC School of Finance.
Looking ahead, Waterdrop will continue to strengthen its exploration of "AI-Native" capabilities in insurance services. The company will focus on directions such as technological deepening, scenario expansion, and ecosystem co-creation, working with partners to promote the high-quality development of the insurance industry.
Comments