BREAKING: Manulife has just announced a pivotal partnership with Adaptive ML to supercharge its enterprise AI capabilities. This collaboration, revealed today, December 22, 2025, marks a significant leap forward for Manulife’s proprietary AI platform, ensuring real-time optimization of models that will ultimately enhance customer experiences.
Based in New York, Adaptive ML specializes in reinforcement learning technology that fine-tunes and deploys open-source small language models (SLMs) for enterprise applications. This partnership is set to transform how Manulife utilizes AI, delivering tailored solutions that generate value and improve efficiency for its vast customer base.
“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,” stated Jodie Wallis, Global Chief AI Officer at Manulife. The Adaptive ML system will continuously learn from new data and user feedback, ensuring that AI models remain precise and effective.
The multi-year agreement is expected to unlock exciting new applications, including automating underwriting quotes and optimizing complex processes. Initial use cases will be rapidly integrated into Manulife’s operations, highlighting the urgency to adapt in a fast-evolving AI landscape.
“Manulife continues to demonstrate leadership in deploying enterprise AI at scale, and this partnership is a blueprint for how regulated industries should adopt AI,” said Julien Launay, CEO of Adaptive ML.
Manulife’s strategic focus on becoming an AI-powered organization underscores its commitment to innovation. This partnership not only aims to enhance operational capabilities but also aligns with its Responsible AI Principles, which emphasize sustainability and ethical AI use. By adopting specialized language models through Adaptive ML, Manulife anticipates reduced energy consumption while maintaining performance standards.
“We’re embedding AI in nearly every part of our business,” added Shamus Weiland, Chief Information Officer. “This will help us move faster while removing friction for our customers.”
Furthermore, this collaboration reinforces Manulife’s status as the leading life insurance company for AI maturity, as recently noted in the Evident AI Index for Insurance. With over 37,000 employees and a growing customer base, Manulife is dedicated to leveraging AI to enhance its service offerings.
This urgent partnership with Adaptive ML is not just a technological advancement; it represents a commitment to delivering innovative, customer-centric solutions in a rapidly changing market landscape. Analysts and industry experts will be closely watching how this collaboration unfolds, as it could set new standards for AI integration in financial services.
For more information on Manulife’s AI advancements, visit AI @ Manulife.
