From curiosity to AI capability

Esatto’s team began the first joint project by immersing themselves in the organisation through interviews and workshops. They mapped what worked well and what slowed progress, and then presented a new structure that resonated with the organisation and was approved by management.

“We were drawn to the fact that Esatto didn’t try to sell us a method or a model. They listened first, understood our everyday reality, and then came back with concrete suggestions based on how we actually work. That’s exactly how we want our partners to operate,” says Gustaf Ledin, CIO at Svedea.

When generative AI started gaining traction, the dialogue between Svedea and Esatto resumed. It quickly became clear that it was time to collaborate again. A larger, more visionary initiative was launched, and Esatto was entrusted to support and take leading roles in Svedea’s overall AI program.

From AI to ROI, a structured and business-driven approach

The AI program quickly took shape and was divided into two clear tracks:

Establishing an internal AI platform on Microsoft Azure, enabling the implementation of various LLMs and solutions to create unique capabilities for Svedea. One example is support for interpreting insurance policy terms.

Developing a strategy and process for applying existing AI tools within the organisation, increasing the use of tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, and Claude. This track also explores how existing tools can leverage capabilities that Svedea builds internally.

The work has been characterised by a strong focus on business value and the idea of creating solutions that meet needs on an individual, team, and organisational level. The team has consistently worked according to Lean Startup principles, ensuring minimal risk through clear prioritisation and continuous testing of hypotheses.

“We have always had a clear focus on ensuring that the AI solutions we create contribute to ROI. Together with the business, the team has identified clear use cases, analysed and tested them, and then selected those that qualify as business cases and POCs for management to base decisions on. We strongly believe in this type of process, built on learning, iteration, and keeping real users and their needs at the centre. It has allowed us to maximise impact while maintaining low risk,” says Björn Sundqvist, AI strategist and project manager at Esatto.

An organisation ready to stand on its own

The AI program and its associated ways of working are now embedded in the organisation. The next step is underway, where Esatto continues to play an important advisory role, while Svedea takes full ownership and integrates the program into its line organisation.

“The fact that Svedea is now ready to bring its AI program into the line organisation makes us both happy and proud of the work we’ve done. At Esatto, our ambition is to strengthen our clients’ own capabilities, and that’s exactly what we’ve achieved here. It’s a clear example of practising what we preach. Svedea can now continue building internal expertise, and we will of course remain as a sounding board and support along their journey,” continues Björn Sundqvist.

Reactions within the organisation have been marked by both curiosity and healthy scepticism. Data scientists and developers were enthusiastic from the start, while other parts of the organisation had valid questions about how AI would impact daily work and potentially the need for certain roles as efficiency increases.

“Change always brings both curiosity and some level of concern. From Svedea’s leadership, we have been clear in communicating our vision: AI should strengthen both our employees and our customer interactions, not replace them. Human interaction is part of our DNA, and we must not lose that, even as we leverage technology along the way. The work of integrating our AI program into the organisation has begun, and I am confident it will be very successful. We have a culture that drives development forward, and now we also have the structure, governance, and competence in place to make AI a natural part of our future business,” explains Gustaf Ledin.

The first AI capability is live

One concrete outcome of the work has now been realised. Together with Esatto, Svedea has developed an AI capability on its platform in the form of a classification model that analyses incoming claims of a certain type and provides case handlers with a qualified basis for assessing the claim.

Challenges and learnings

Svedea’s journey is similar to that of many organisations today, and there are several key learnings from the process.

“The insurance market is highly regulated, which brings legal challenges. We addressed this by ensuring that legal experts were always part of the dialogue. We also involved our CFO in the steering group and in evaluating business cases and use cases, which sped up decision-making and increased understanding of the investments. In general, I believe it’s important to involve decision-makers early in these processes to create alignment and raise knowledge levels. From the start, we never know if an idea will succeed, so there must be an understanding that we need room to test, learn, and start without guaranteeing outcomes,” says Gustaf Ledin.

For Esatto, Svedea’s journey stands as a strong example, with clear elements that can inspire other organisations that are struggling to get started with AI.

“It has been a privilege to work with such an engaged team and to systematically build a structure for working with AI. Within this project, we have been able to explore business-driven AI broadly, identifying relevant applications tailored to the client’s context. Many organisations can learn from Svedea’s strong business focus and clear ambition to ensure AI creates value at every level. They have also been patient and approached AI step by step, resulting in a clear direction they truly believe in. Taking this kind of structured approach, with continuous evaluation, is something more organisations should be inspired by,” concludes Björn.

Want to go on a similar journey?

In this case, we have shown how AI can create real value when structure, culture, and technology come together. At Esatto, and within the wider group we are part of, we have the experience, methods, and expertise to help organisations move from AI hype to measurable ROI.

Get in touch and we will tell you more about how we can help you build AI capabilities that make a difference, both today and in the long term.