Manulife is rolling out a redesigned electronic life insurance application alongside an enhanced version of its proprietary AI underwriting engine, a move the company says can deliver automatic approvals in as little as two minutes for qualified applicants.
The updates are designed to reduce friction in the application process while helping advisors guide clients through coverage decisions more efficiently. Together, the new application and the upgraded Manulife Automated Underwriting Decision Engine—known as MAUDE—aim to simplify underwriting without sacrificing oversight or accuracy.
According to Manulife, the redesigned application uses intelligent, adaptive questioning to streamline how medical and lifestyle information is collected. The system dynamically adjusts questions based on factors such as age, coverage amount, and prior responses, allowing MAUDE to make faster decisions and enabling human underwriters to focus on more complex cases.
“Since launch last fall, advisor adoption has been strong,” said Karen Cutler, Chief Underwriter at Manulife Canada. “By December, more than half of eligible cases—58 per cent—had approvals processed automatically through MAUDE, a 56 per cent increase from pre-launch. By combining smarter questions with advanced AI, we’re delivering a faster, more intuitive experience without compromising on quality or protection.”
One of the most significant changes is a reduction of up to 40 per cent in medical questions, with lengthy and less relevant sections removed to align with current underwriting best practices. The application also introduces standardized drop-down menus and pick lists for medications, conditions, travel, and hobbies, improving consistency and speeding up data entry for advisors.
If an application cannot be approved automatically, it is seamlessly escalated to a human underwriter for review. Manulife says this hybrid approach ensures every applicant receives appropriate, individualized consideration while still benefiting from automation where possible.
MAUDE traces its roots back to 2018, when Manulife introduced AIDA, Canada’s first AI tool capable of making automatic underwriting decisions. Since then, the system has evolved into a more sophisticated engine supporting faster approvals and more efficient workflows.
“We’ve been doing this longer than anyone in the industry,” said Jodie Wallis, Manulife’s Global Chief AI Officer. “That experience has allowed us to build one of Canada’s most advanced AI underwriting engines, grounded in our Responsible AI Principles so advisors and clients can feel confident in the decisions being made.”
Manulife’s focus on responsible, transparent AI has earned external recognition. The company was recently named the top life insurance provider in Canada for AI maturity in the inaugural Evident AI Index for Insurance.
The insurer has been investing in AI and advanced analytics since 2016 and expects these capabilities to generate $1 billion in enterprise value by 2027, with roughly 20 per cent coming from efficiency gains. For Canadian consumers, the immediate impact is more tangible: faster access to life insurance coverage and fewer barriers during an often stressful process.
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