AI innovation collaboration between GC Tech and the University of Salford

GC Tech is a subsidiary of HF, leading legal advisers in the insurance and commercial sectors, created to focus on pioneering technological innovations that complement HF’s legal services and benefit from their legal and industry expertise.  GC Tech has partnered with the University of Salford to create an AI-based product that will leverage and maximise legal and insurance expertise to transform insurance claims handling. 

The initiative is funded by Innovate UK, under their ‘Innovation in Professional and Financial Services – collaborations’ strand, and the product is called ELI (Expert Legal Intelligence).  The aim of ELI is to use advanced AI, including Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML), to automate claims assessments, improve decision accuracy and detect fraudulent activities more quickly and effectively.

With GC Tech spearheading the initiative, skilled legal insights will be built into the claims journey from the start, with the additional assurance that the platform is technologically advanced, legally sound and compliant with industry standards.

David Scott, Managing Director of GC Tech said, “The development of ELI is a direct response to the needs of the insurance industry.  Our focus is on using tech innovation to bring a step change in reducing operational costs, streamlining claims processing, identifying fraud and ultimately ensuring fairer outcomes for insurers and, crucially, their policyholders”.

The University of Salford will bring academic rigour to the project as well as helping to ensure the validity of the AI activity including avoiding bias and other potential unintended outcomes.

Experts in NLP and AI ethics, Dr Taha Mansouri and Dr Ali Alameer will lead the project from the University of Salford. Their expertise will ensure that the AI algorithms powering ELI are not only technologically robust, but also ethically sound.

Taha said: “At the University of Salford, we’re committed to developing AI solutions that are not only effective but also ethical and unbiased. Our partnership with GC Tech allows us to contribute our expertise in machine learning and ensure the technology adheres to legal and regulatory frameworks.”

Ronan McCann, CEO & Managing Partner of HF commented, “I’m excited for the future of GC Tech, with its focus on driving innovations that complement HF’s legal services, helping our clients meet the evolving challenges of the insurance sector and delivering a more streamlined and effective experience for their customers.”