• Knowledge Transfer Partnership with NetWatch Global Limited is developing the insurance sector’s first AI-based tools for verifying claims
• The project seeks to transform claims processing in insurance and police investigations, with automated tools to identify fraud in motor claims – a growing trend
• Aston University's expertise in AI, machine learning, multimodal data analytics and natural language processing will enable experimental technologies to be developed into a scalable, commercial solution.

A new industry collaboration that draws on Aston University’s deep expertise in digital technology is setting out to transform how claims are verified in insurance and police investigations.

In a first for the insurance sector, the project will exploit new forms of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to help tackle the growing trend of fraudulent claims, currently valued at £1.1 billion in the UK.

Knowledge transfer partnerships (KTP ) funded by Innovate UK are collaborations between a business, a university and a highly qualified research associate. Through this partnership with NetWatch Global, an intelligence services provider, Aston University researchers will exploit AI in new ways to explore how digital technologies can be incorporated across the business. As well as working to improve the efficiency of its managed services, the team will also innovate automated AI-based software tools for verifying motor insurance claims, the area with the most fraudulent claims according to the Association of British Insurers.

Enhanced by new models of AI, the software suite will be capable of analysing multiple forms of data - text, image, video, audio and social media – and link the data assets together so they can be automatically searched for evidence. This will save time for analysts who currently manage this process manually. Using generative AI, the project will create a rapid report generator and incorporate natural language processing to develop an advanced chatbot. This will provide user-friendly, human-like responses to queries.

Due to the multimodal nature of the data and the complex machine learning underpinning this project, the KTP team will be challenged with developing a series of bespoke AI models that can retrieve, classify, and summarise data across different sources and contexts.

The powerful, scalable set of AI-based software tools created will be capable of automating the extraction of intelligence and insights for insurance claims in ways that have not been possible previously. Along with more efficient services and the ability to generate rapid reports for their clients, the project will drive forward NetWatch’s growth agenda over the next five years and enable the company to be more competitive and cost-effective while opening up potential new markets.

David Purcell, chief operating officer, NetWatch Global, said: “A KTP is a very cost-effective approach for us to deliver a complex project like this which will be a first in our sector. With Aston University’s extensive expertise in AI and machine learning to lead and advise us, the partnership will deliver new tools and ways of working that will transform our business into a forward-thinking provider.”

Professor Abdul Sadka, director of the Sir Peter Rigby Digital Futures Institute at Aston University said: “As an institute that applies digital technologies to tackle automation and transformation challenges for businesses, this KTP is an exciting addition to our portfolio of collaborative projects. We’ll be bringing together expertise from across the University to fully embrace and exploit AI, applying our research to new domains and creating new innovation models.”

The Sir Peter Rigby Digital Futures Institute is a digital technologies powerhouse established at the intersection between engineering, health and social sciences. Its goal is to advance digital transformation through collaborative projects that deliver economic and social benefits for Birmingham, the West Midlands and beyond.

Without a blueprint to develop these new tools in-house, partnering with the University provides NetWatch with a wealth of expertise. Academics from across the newly launched institute and the Aston Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Application will deliver applied research in AI, multimodal data analytics, machine learning and natural language processing.

The UK-wide KTP programme helps businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills. Aston University is a sector-leading partnership provider ranked first for project quality and joint first for the volume of active projects.
For more information on the KTP visit Knowledge Transfer Partnerships at work