Manulife launches new Advisor AI Assistant, expanding AI-enabled underwriting support for advisors

TORONTO, ON — Manulife today announced the launch of the Manulife Advisor AI Assistant™, a new AI-powered capability designed to help advisors access underwriting guidance 24/7.

Advisors can ask questions in plain language and receive AI-generated guidance drawn from content in Manulife's underwriting advisor handbooks. The assistant helps advisors prepare for client conversations, understand potential underwriting requirements and gather information earlier in the insurance process. By helping advisors access guidance sooner, it can support clearer client conversations and better-informed expectations before an application is submitted. The first release supports life insurance, critical illness insurance, and Synergy^® products.

This launch is part of Manulife's broader effort to create a more connected advisor experience by making it easier for advisors to access the information, tools, and support they need. The assistant helps advisors access underwriting guidance earlier in the process, while MAUDE, Manulife’s AI-enabled underwriting engine, supports decision-making after an application is submitted. Together, these capabilities are designed to support advisors as they move through the underwriting process and demonstrate how Manulife is applying AI to assist advisors throughout the underwriting journey.

"The faster advisors can get to the information they need, the more confidently they can help clients move forward," said Karen Cutler, Chief Underwriter, Manulife Canada. "The Manulife Advisor AI Assistant puts underwriting guidance at their fingertips, making the process easier to navigate while laying the foundation for new ways we can support advisors in the future."

Over time, Manulife plans to evolve the assistant beyond underwriting guidance with additional knowledge areas and capabilities that support advisors across more aspects of doing business with Manulife. The launch builds on Manulife's broader investment in AI-powered capabilities for advisors, including sales and advisor enablement tools announced earlier this year.

This momentum reflects Manulife's continued investment in AI across underwriting, operations and digital experiences while maintaining strong governance and oversight. Earlier this year, Manulife was named the number one life insurer for AI maturity for a second consecutive year by Evident. The company also earned Celent Model Insurer recognition for AI leadership in underwriting.

"AI is most powerful when it takes complexity out of the way and helps people do their best work," said Jamie Campbell, Head of Artificial Intelligence and Data, Canada, Manulife. "The Manulife Advisor AI Assistant does exactly that, making underwriting information easier to find so advisors can spend more time focused on their clients. It's another example of how we're applying AI in practical ways across the insurance journey."

Manulife Advisor AI Assistant is designed to complement, not replace, the expertise of Manulife's underwriters and wholesalers. The tool helps advisors quickly access underwriting guidance and information, but does not make underwriting decisions or provide a binding indication of insurability, premium, coverage or application outcome. All insurance applications remain subject to Manulife’s applicable underwriting requirements and evaluation. Advisors are expected to exercise professional judgment when using the assistant, as AI-generated responses may contain errors. The assistant was developed using Manulife's underwriting advisor handbooks and operates within Manulife's broader AI governance framework, which includes risk management, human oversight, privacy safeguards and ongoing monitoring.

Becoming an AI-powered organization is one of Manulife’s strategic priorities. Manulife expects to generate more than $1 billion[1] of enterprise value by 2027, with $300 million achieved as of year-end 2025, improving productivity and efficiency and delivering real impact for customers, colleagues and shareholders.

The Manulife Advisor AI Assistant is now available through Advisor Portal.

Caution regarding forward-looking statements

This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbour" provisions of Canadian provincial securities laws and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to Manulife’s use of its digital capabilities and the expected benefits it expects to realize from AI. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include but are not limited to general business and economic conditions; changes in laws and regulations with respect to the use of AI-enabled tools; our ability to execute our digital plans and to deploy future digital use cases; our ability to adapt products and services to the changing market; our ability to attract and retain key employees and our ability to protect our intellectual property and exposure to claims of infringement from others. Additional information about material risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations may be found in our most recent annual and interim reports and elsewhere in our filings with Canadian and U.S. securities regulators.

The forward-looking statements in this document are, unless otherwise indicated, stated as of the date hereof. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

About Manulife   

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Anchored in our ambition to be the number one choice for customers, we operate as Manulife across Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, providing financial advice, insurance and health solutions for individuals, groups and businesses. Through Manulife Wealth & Asset Management, we offer global investment solutions, financial advice, and retirement plan services to individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2025, we had more than 37,000 employees, over 106,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 37 million customers with operations across 25 markets globally. We trade as ‘MFC’ on the Toronto, New York, and Philippine stock exchanges, and under ‘945’ on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com.

Media contact
Laura Crochetiere
Manulife Canada
Laura_Crochetiere@manulife.com

¹ The expected value from our AI initiatives include realized run-rate expense reductions, top-line revenue uplift from AI-powered workflows, fraud reduction, and growth absorption.