Vertafore Introduces Velocity AI Platform and AI Agents to Power Distribution Velocity

• By: Will Jones
• April 15, 2026

This week, independent agents met in Las Vegas for Accelerate 2026, where Vertafore introduced several new, practical, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools to remove friction from everyday workflows.

During Tuesday’s keynote, Amy Zupon, CEO of Vertafore, told a packed theater the insurance industry is navigating a convergence of pressures, including workforce shifts, rising complexity and growing expectations for speed and accuracy.

“We are living through a moment of real transformation,” she said, pointing to the influx of AI into daily workflows, which, among the changing demographics of the insurance workforce, is creating “more complexity, more pressure, and less room for inefficiency.”

“Within the context of these market dynamics, the winners are going to be the companies that rise to the occasion and truly embrace these new truths,” she said. “The problem is that the current distribution lifecycle simply can’t keep up … In fact, it was born for a different era.”

“And we call this the Insurance distribution drag—a problem that’s impacting the entire ecosystem of agencies, carriers and MGAs,” she continued. “The Distribution lifecycle is manual, friction-filled, fragmented, rigid and too slow.”

Zupon’s remarks set the stage for how Vertafore plans to tackle these pain points, shifting the conversation from the problem itself to what comes next and to how businesses can be intentional in addressing certain issues.

“We are living through one of the most profound technology shifts of our lifetime. AI isn’t just another tool—it’s a force multiplier,” said James Thom, chief product officer, Vertafore. “But leading in the AI era isn’t about having the flashiest technology: It’s about three things.”

“First, clarity—knowing exactly what problems you’re solving and where AI creates value. Second, courage—the willingness to rethink workflows, challenge long-held assumptions, and move before it feels completely comfortable,” he said.

“And third, responsibility—because with this power comes the obligation to use AI ethically, transparently, and in ways that elevate people—not replace their judgment,” he continued.

At Accelerate 2026, Vertafore® introduced its Velocity AI Platform and six AI agents that deliver speed and improve precision in everyday insurance workflows. Capitalizing on its long-standing leadership in AI, these latest innovations help agencies bypass time-consuming manual tasks.

The six agents are the Velocity AI Insurance Expert Agent, Velocity AI Portal Launcher Agent, Velocity AI Submission Processing Agent, Velocity AI Reconciliation Agent, Velocity AI Email Agent and Velocity AI Benefit Plan Agent.

The company also unveiled a fully integrated certificates of insurance solution within AgencyOne, aiming to address one of the most persistent service pain points for independent agencies.

“For many agencies, the back‑and‑forth of certificate requests creates large volumes of hands‑on work that’s hard to scale,” Thom said. “By connecting this workflow inside AgencyOne, we’re removing a major source of distribution drag.”

Additional announcements included the launch of ReferenceConnect AI, an AI‑powered research platform that allows insurance professionals to search and apply trusted industry content within their workflows. The platform draws on more than 75 publishers, over one million verified documents, and 60 commercial lines.

Rick Warter, chief customer officer at Vertafore, said the theme of Accelerate 2026, “Powering Your Possible in the AI Era,” reflects the company’s belief that meaningful progress is already within reach for agencies.

“When we talk about what’s possible, we’re not talking about someday,” Warter said. “We’re talking about what agencies can do right now for their teams and their customers.”

Will Jones is IA editor-in-chief.