In the case The Estate of Gene B. Lokken v. UnitedHealth Group, Inc., No. 23-CV-3514 (JRT/SGE) (D. Minn.), the plaintiffs alleged that the defendant insurer had denied claims using an artificial intelligence program without human review. They sought discovery into the insurer’s use of AI. When the insurer refused, they moved to compel and the Minnesota federal court granted the motion. Although this case deals with health insurance, its principles are widely applicable to all other types of insurance. Insurers are increasingly using AI to evaluate or even deny claims without human review. They also use it to challenge policyholders’ expenses as too high. Courts are beginning to allow discovery into how AI was used in the claim process. Accordingly, requests for AI chat files, use policies, and documents concerning oversight of AI should now be a standard part of every policyholder’s discovery requests in coverage litigation.
