Dive In Festival opens 12th year with focus on AI and workplace culture

Thousands of insurance professionals are gathering for the 12th Dive In Festival, a three-day global program focused on culture, talent and inclusion in an industry being reshaped by AI. Organizers say the event’s legacy includes policy changes, workplace practices and broader conversations that have spread across the insurance market.

Why it matters: - The insurance industry is using Dive In 2026 to test how workplaces can adopt artificial intelligence without losing trust, culture and human connection. - Organizers say the festival has already helped drive changes in policies and management practices across global insurance. - Market data cited by the festival points to measurable gains in diversity and inclusion across Lloyd’s Market firms.

What happened: - Dive In Festival opened its 12th year on Sept. 23, 2026, in London, with a three-day program spanning multiple countries. - Thousands of insurance professionals from around the world are taking part. - The 2026 theme is “The Human gAIn: Powering Culture & Connection.” - The program includes sessions in Argentina, Italy, the USA, Mexico, Canada, Singapore, Spain, the UK and Australia. - The festival is marking more than a decade of conversations around culture, talent and inclusion in insurance.

The details: - Since launching in 2015, Dive In has delivered more than 1,000 events across 40+ countries and reached nearly 200,000 people. - Organizers say the festival’s impact is measured not only by attendance, but by the workplace changes that followed. - A 2022 Dive In event on menopause in the workplace helped bring the topic into corporate discussion, and 70% of firms in the Lloyd’s Market now have menopause policies. - In 2017, two men shared a story about mental health and prevented suicide, helping spark sustained discussion around the issue. - In 2019, events on domestic abuse helped bring the topic into industry conversation, and 40% of firms in the Lloyd’s Market now have domestic abuse policies. - Also in 2019, Dive In introduced neurodiversity as a topic, helping normalize workplace adjustments such as skills-based assessments, noise-cancelling headphones and quiet sensory rooms. - The festival also created space for conversations that had not previously taken place in some markets, including female empowerment in Saudi Arabia and paternity leave in Japan. - The Lloyd’s Markets Policies and Practices Return shows ethnic diversity in the market is now representative of UK working-age populations. - Diversity monitoring has improved, and 87% of employees now agree their organization is genuinely committed to a fair, diverse and inclusive culture. - Sessions this year include caregiving and neurodiversity in Argentina, Italy and the USA. - Mexico is hosting a session on turning uncertainty into connection and collective courage. - In the UK, former England rugby world cup winner Will Greenwood and comedian and TV executive Cally Beaton are among the featured speakers. - In Australia, artist Sarah Rowan is scheduled to appear. - In Canada, Paralympian Jessica Lewis will lead accessibility discussions. - In Singapore, Microsoft Singapore Chief Architect Matthew Tan will explore how AI can improve productivity, decision-making and new ways of working. - In Spain, IBM Chief Operating Officer Ignacio Del Pozo will run a workshop on building trust, bridging generational gaps and discussing AI adoption. - AI experts Toju Duke, founder and CEO of Bedrock AI, and Sue Turner, founding director of AI Governance Ltd, are speaking at the UK opening and closing events, respectively. - Dive In 2026 is backed by organizations including AIG, Antares, Aon, Arch, Asta, Aviva, AXA XL, Clyde & Co, Gallagher, Guidewire, Liberty Mutual, Lloyd’s, Markel, Marsh, Moody’s, Pelagos Insurance Capital, RenaissanceRe and WTW. - Supporter Partners for 2026 include Alliant, AXIS, Everest, GP Strategies, KPMG, Lockton Re, RGA and Swiss Re. - Registration is open at More information.

Between the lines: - The festival is evolving from a culture and inclusion forum into a broader workplace strategy platform, with AI now a central issue. - The insurance sector appears to be using Dive In as a shared space to address topics that individual firms may struggle to tackle alone. - The reported policy shifts suggest the festival has moved beyond awareness-building and into practical organizational change. - The emphasis on global sessions and local topics shows the industry is trying to balance common challenges with market-specific needs.

What’s next: - Sessions over the next three days will focus on how insurers can adopt AI while strengthening culture and human relationships. - Organizers hope the collaboration built through Dive In will keep shaping culture and talent strategies across the industry. - The festival’s supporters and speakers suggest the event will remain a venue for both policy ideas and practical workplace guidance.

The bottom line: - After 12 years, Dive In is positioning itself as a proof point that industry-wide conversation can translate into policy, practice and measurable workplace change.