AXA published its 13th Future Risks Report on 13 October. For the first time since the report began, experts place risks linked to artificial intelligence and big data first, ahead of climate change. AI ranked fourth in last year's edition. Insurance Business reported that this is only the second year in the survey's history that climate has not led, the first being 2020.
Ipsos ran the survey between 14 May and 24 June 2026, Insurance Business reported, with 4,345 experts in 62 countries and a separate sample of 24,000 members of the public in 19 countries. Among the public, climate change still ranks first in every age group, while AI rose from seventh to second.
AXA said 54% of experts who rank AI among their top risks see it as rapidly emerging. Only 9% of them think public authorities are well prepared, falling to 3% in Europe. Energy risks rose to fifth place among experts. Across both samples, 85% said their most pressing risk can be at least partly prevented, and 68% of the public said insurers have an important role in protecting society from emerging risks.
Insurance Business linked the findings to questions from buyers about whether cyber policies respond to losses caused by generative AI. It reported that carriers are adding AI-specific exclusions, revised forms and affirmative endorsements, which vary by line and can leave gaps between layers. AXA chief executive Thomas Buberl said insurance "is an essential factor of stability."
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AXA ↗Company · 13 Oct 2026
This is an original brief based on the linked publication. Company statements and forecasts are attributed to their source.
