Katya Andresen joined Cigna Group as chief data, digital and AI officer in September 2021 and now says the company is shifting its focus from "how do I use AI?" to "how do I lead in an age of AI?". The new framing, she argues, moves attention from chasing isolated tools to measuring real health outcomes.
AI projects that promise major savings
Cigna announced this summer that its AI-driven predictive analytics could save an estimated $200 million over the next three years by identifying chronic conditions such as cancer, kidney disease and high-risk pregnancy early and connecting patients with clinicians. In a separate commitment, the insurer pledged $100 million through 2028 to use AI for automating clinical documentation and speeding up prescription workflows.
Targeted use of generative AI for drug costs
Andresen explained to EuroHerald that Cigna analysed thousands of past customer conversations about biologics and biosimilars. By using those insights to craft digital messages encouraging a switch to cheaper biosimilars, the campaign saw more than 80 percent of patients choose the lower-cost alternative. One high-priced biologic, Humira, can cost $7,000 per month; the shift to biosimilars generated "a couple hundred million dollars of savings for patients", she said.
"That led to a lot more margin. But more importantly, it created a couple hundred million dollars of savings for patients," Andresen said.
Why the AI push matters for patients and the insurer
Cigna, with $275 billion in annual revenue and a place on the Fortune 500 list, operates in a market where national health-care spending exceeds $5 trillion. Rising chronic disease rates, an ageing population and soaring prescription prices put pressure on insurers to find efficiencies. A Gallup survey from April found that nearly six-in-ten people use AI to research health information before a doctor visit, and about 14 million adults have skipped a visit after consulting an AI tool.
Regulatory safeguards and future directions
Andresen stressed that Cigna's long-standing compliance framework, built for machine-learning models, gives the company a head start in governing AI chatbots that handle sensitive patient data. She added that personal experience, a close family member's breast-cancer diagnosis, highlighted the need for AI that not only navigates information but also personalises care.
"I think we're headed to a place where AI in health-care becomes conversational, ambient, and more proactive," Andresen said.
Looking ahead, Cigna plans to blend proprietary data with partnerships with large AI providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic, while also collaborating with specialised startups like Sierra that build conversational agents for customer service. Other deployments include large-language-model summarisation of call-center transcripts and an AI virtual assistant inside the Cigna mobile app, which has reduced note-taking time for telehealth clinicians by up to 90 percent.
What comes next?
Andresen expects the insurer to continue expanding AI-enabled tools that anticipate patient needs, refine treatment recommendations and feed outcomes back into the models for continual improvement. As AI adoption grows across the health-care sector, Cigna's strategy aims to turn cost pressures into opportunities for better, more affordable care.