Getting insurance help no longer has to mean waiting on calls or navigating endless IVR menus. In a major move announced on February 28, 2026, Sarvam AI has partnered with SBI Life to roll out conversational AI across the insurer’s vast ecosystem—serving over 8 crore customers and empowering a network of 3.5 lakh distributors across India.
The integration introduces Sarvam’s Samvaad conversational AI and the Arya multi-agent system directly into SBI Life’s sales, service and support operations, enabling instant, personalised assistance in multiple Indian languages.
A Big Leap for a Homegrown AI Startup
Sarvam AI, known for building India-focused language models, has moved from innovation to large-scale deployment with this collaboration. Its Samvaad platform is designed for natural, multilingual conversations—whether through text or voice—making it easier for customers to understand policies, renew plans or raise service requests in their preferred language.
For SBI Life, this means its entire distributor network—from rural advisors to urban sales teams—now has AI-powered support for customer interactions, product explanations and real-time query handling.
Notably, the rollout has gone live directly at scale, without pilot phases—marking one of the largest full-production AI deployments in India’s insurance sector.
What This Means for Customers
The impact is immediate and practical:
- 24/7 instant policy support without waiting for a human agent
- Multilingual conversations, including Hindi, Tamil and Hinglish
- Smart renewal reminders based on life-stage changes
- Faster claims processing through automated document verification
- Personalised policy recommendations
Customers can simply ask for their policy status, premium details or coverage options through the SBI Life app or portal and receive accurate responses within seconds.
Sarvam says this could:
- Reduce resolution time by up to 2x
- Cut call centre load by around 40%
- Free human agents to focus on complex, high-empathy cases
AI Sidekicks for 3.5 Lakh Distributors
The transformation is not limited to policyholders. SBI Life’s distributors now get AI-driven assistance during customer meetings, including:
- Real-time sales scripts
- Objection-handling suggestions
- Coverage optimisation options
- Instant premium calculations
This can significantly improve productivity and potentially increase advisor earnings through smarter recommendations and faster closures.
Built for India, With Data Security at the Core
A key differentiator is Sarvam AI’s deep understanding of Indian languages and insurance terminology—something global models often struggle with.
At the same time, the system is designed with:
- End-to-end encryption
- Regulatory compliance
- Verified knowledge-based responses
- Bias and accuracy checks
This ensures customers receive reliable guidance without the risk of AI-generated misinformation.
Why This Partnership Matters Now
India’s insurance industry is under pressure to handle rising claims while improving customer experience and reducing costs. AI-led automation helps insurers:
- Lower customer acquisition expenses
- Improve cross-selling accuracy
- Scale operations without increasing manpower
For customers, this could translate into better service, more relevant add-ons and potentially more cost-efficient policies.
With SBI Life targeting massive asset growth in the coming years, this AI backbone becomes a strategic advantage—and a signal for the rest of the industry to follow.
The Road Ahead: Insurance That Feels Instant and Personal
The nationwide rollout is expected to peak by March 2026, just as the seasonal surge in renewals begins.
The larger vision is simple: make insurance conversations as easy as chatting in your own language, at any time, from anywhere.
In a country of over 140 crore people, this partnership shows how India-built AI can transform financial services at population scale—turning insurance into a faster, more local and more customer-first experience.
