Manulife has entered into a multi-year agreement with a US-based private AI software firm, Adaptive ML, to incorporate model fine-tuning technology into its AI platform.

Adaptive ML specialises in reinforcement learning-powered engines that fine-tune, assess, and deploy open-source small language models (SLMs) for enterprise use.

The Adaptive ML system is designed to continuously learn and adapt AI models in real time, using new data and feedback from the user.

According to Manulife, the Adaptive Engine applies reinforcement learning (RL) to refine models for certain business targets, resulting in increased accuracy and efficiency over time.

This agreement is expected to support Manulife in automating underwriting quotes, handling complex processes, and providing guidance to sales professionals.

According to Manulife, these practical applications will be among the first to be brought into the platform, allowing for wider deployment at greater scale and speed.

Adaptive ML CEO Julien Launay said: “Manulife continues to demonstrate leadership in deploying enterprise AI at scale, and this partnership is a blueprint for how regulated industries should adopt AI.

“Generalist LLMs are not built for scalable enterprise production. Manulife is strategically taking ownership by deploying its own specialised agents using Adaptive Engine as the strategic reinforcement learning operations layer, thereby gaining superior reliability and the ability to deliver cost efficiencies throughout their private environments worldwide.”

With its worldwide headquarters in Toronto, Canada, the company functions as Manulife in Asia and Europe, and as John Hancock in the US, offering financial advice and insurance to businesses, groups, and individuals.

Manulife Global chief AI officer Jodie Wallis said: “We continue to accelerate progress on our AI platform and Adaptive ML’s capabilities position us to deliver breakthrough solutions that enhance speed, accuracy, and innovation. In addition to using large language models (LLMs) for certain use cases, the targeted use of specialist language models tuned on this platform will seek to provide both accuracy and cost efficiency benefits.

“Manulife is proud to be a leader in AI, and this partnership allows us to maintain a competitive edge in what is a rapidly changing AI landscape. A key pillar of Manulife’s enterprise strategy is to become an AI-powered organisation–integrating solutions that deliver value, fuel growth, and enhance the customer experience.”