Sedgwick, Crawford, McLarens: How Large TPAs Use AI and What Independent Adjusters Can Learn
Shubham JainFebruary 13, 202615 min readThe largest third-party administrators in the insurance world, Sedgwick, Crawford, and McLarens, are pouring millions of dollars into artificial intelligence. These investments are creating a visible technology gap between enterprise TPAs and independent loss adjusters or small adjusting firms. The good news: independent adjusters do not need enterprise budgets to access AI that improves their field documentation, report quality, and turnaround times. Purpose-built tools like FieldScribe AI now deliver professional-grade AI capabilities for a fraction of what large TPAs spend on custom platforms.
This article breaks down exactly how each of these major TPAs is deploying AI, what capabilities they have that independent adjusters currently lack, and the practical steps any independent adjuster can take to close the gap starting today.
How Is Sedgwick Using AI in Claims?
Sedgwick is the world's leading claims management company, with approximately 33,000 employees serving over 10,000 clients across 80 countries. Their AI investments are substantial, and they offer a useful benchmark for understanding where enterprise claims technology is heading.
What Is Sedgwick's Sidekick Agent?
Sedgwick's most prominent AI product is Sidekick Agent, built on Microsoft Azure OpenAI. Sidekick provides real-time guidance to claims examiners during the claims handling process. It scores claim severity automatically, analyzes historical data on claim durations and reserves, and surfaces relevant information so examiners can make faster decisions. Think of it as an AI assistant that sits beside the claims handler, pulling up relevant data and suggesting next steps as the claim progresses.
Sidekick is not a standalone app. It is deeply integrated into Sedgwick's internal systems, trained on their proprietary claims data, and designed to work within their specific workflows. An independent adjuster cannot purchase Sidekick. It exists only within Sedgwick's ecosystem.
What Other AI Tools Does Sedgwick Use?
Beyond Sidekick, Sedgwick has deployed several AI initiatives:
- Gen AI Claims Summary: Built into their viaOne platform, this tool automatically generates claim summaries from documentation, notes, and correspondence. It reduces the time examiners spend reading through files and writing status updates.
- Digital Adjust Pro: Sedgwick's digital claims adjustment platform has achieved an 81% Net Promoter Score and a 94% quality audit score. These numbers suggest that the AI-assisted quality checks built into the platform are catching errors before reports reach clients.
- Agentic AI: Sedgwick is investing in agentic AI capabilities for document summarization and task automation. These systems can read incoming documents, extract key data points, and route tasks to the appropriate handler without human intervention. For a full explanation of what agentic AI means and how it differs from traditional AI, see our guide to agentic AI for insurance field adjusters.
The key takeaway: Sedgwick's AI infrastructure costs millions to build and maintain. It requires dedicated AI engineering teams, massive training datasets, and continuous integration with internal platforms. This is enterprise technology built for enterprise scale.
How Is Crawford Using AI?
Crawford & Company is another global TPA with operations spanning multiple countries and claim types. Crawford's AI investments now include specific named products: CoverAI for policy coverage review, Asservio for estimate validation, and Digital Desk for claims triage. For a detailed breakdown of each Crawford AI tool and what happened when their standalone brand Turvi was absorbed back into Crawford, see our complete guide to Crawford CoverAI, Turvi, and Asservio.
Crawford uses AI primarily for claims triage, determining how to route incoming claims based on complexity, value, and type. Their systems analyze photos submitted with claims to assess damage severity before a human adjuster reviews the file. Workflow automation handles repetitive administrative tasks like status updates, document requests, and scheduling.
Crawford's digital claims handling platform integrates these AI capabilities into a unified system that their adjusters and examiners access daily. Like Sedgwick, the technology is proprietary. Independent adjusters who receive assignments from Crawford work within Crawford's systems but do not have access to the underlying AI tools for their own independent work.
The pricing model for Crawford's technology reflects enterprise economics. These platforms are funded through the volume of claims Crawford processes, not through per-user licensing available to individual adjusters. An independent adjuster handling 20 claims per month simply cannot justify, or access, the same infrastructure that supports a company processing hundreds of thousands of claims annually. For a broader look at how AI is reshaping the insurance sector, see our article on AI in insurance: transforming the industry in 2026.
How Is McLarens Using AI?
McLarens occupies a different niche from Sedgwick and Crawford. Rather than high-volume consumer claims, McLarens focuses on specialty and complex loss adjusting, including engineering claims, marine cargo, construction defects, and large commercial property losses.
McLarens' AI applications reflect this specialization. Their adjusters handle claims where technical documentation is critical: detailed engineering analyses, marine survey reports, and forensic assessments. AI-assisted technical documentation helps their adjusters organize complex findings into structured reports that meet the exacting standards of specialty insurance markets.
With global operations and specialized adjusters in fields like forensic accounting, environmental consulting, and construction advisory, McLarens represents the high end of the adjusting profession. Their technology investments focus on supporting expert analysis rather than automating routine claims.
For independent adjusters who handle similar complex claims, McLarens' approach is instructive. The value of AI in specialty adjusting is not in replacing expert judgment. It is in organizing information, generating structured documentation, and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks during a complex investigation.
What AI Capabilities Do Large TPAs Have That Independent Adjusters Don't?
The gap between enterprise TPAs and independent adjusters is real, but it is important to understand exactly where the differences lie. Not every enterprise AI capability is relevant to an independent adjuster's daily work.
| AI Capability | Enterprise TPAs (Sedgwick, Crawford, McLarens) | Typical Independent Adjuster |
|---|---|---|
| Custom-trained AI models | Yes, trained on millions of proprietary claims | No access to custom models |
| Proprietary data lakes | Decades of claims data for pattern analysis | Personal experience and spreadsheets |
| Automated claims triage | AI routes claims by complexity and value | Manual review of each assignment |
| Integrated fraud detection | AI flags suspicious patterns across portfolios | Relies on experience and intuition |
| Dedicated AI engineering teams | Full-time teams building and maintaining AI | No technical staff |
| AI-powered report generation | Automated summaries and structured reports | Manual writing in Word or Google Docs |
| Real-time claims guidance | AI suggests next steps during handling | Relies on personal checklists |
| Field documentation AI | Varies by TPA, often desktop-focused | General-purpose tools (ChatGPT, voice memos) |
Several of these capabilities, such as claims triage, portfolio-level fraud detection, and proprietary data lakes, are organizational tools. They solve problems that exist at the TPA level, not at the individual adjuster level. An independent adjuster does not need automated triage because they receive assignments directly from carriers or TPAs. Fraud detection at the portfolio level is the carrier's responsibility, not the field adjuster's.
The capabilities that do matter for independent adjusters are field documentation, report generation, and quality assurance. These are the areas where the technology gap directly affects an independent adjuster's competitiveness and income. To understand the full range of AI tools available, check our guide to the complete AI toolkit with 15 tools for loss adjusters in 2026.
How Can Independent Adjusters Close the Technology Gap?
This is the most important question in this article. Enterprise TPAs spend between $5 million and $50 million on AI development and deployment. Independent adjusters and small firms cannot match that spending. But they do not need to.
The field documentation and report generation layer is where independent adjusters can match enterprise quality right now, for a tiny fraction of the cost. Here is how.
What Does FieldScribe AI Offer Independent Adjusters?
FieldScribe AI is built specifically for independent loss adjusters and small adjusting firms. Starting at Rs 3,749/month, it provides AI capabilities that parallel what enterprise TPAs have built internally:
- Voice-to-report capture: Similar to enterprise dictation and transcription systems, FieldScribe AI lets adjusters record field observations by voice and converts them into structured report sections. No typing required during inspections. This mirrors what Sedgwick's examiners get through their internal tools, but packaged for individual use.
- AI report generation: Like Sedgwick's Gen AI Claims Summary, FieldScribe AI takes raw field data, photos, voice notes, and policy details, then generates formatted, professional reports. The difference is that FieldScribe AI is available to any adjuster, not locked inside an enterprise platform.
- Offline field capture: This is an area where FieldScribe AI actually outperforms many enterprise solutions. Large TPA platforms are typically cloud-based and require connectivity. FieldScribe AI works offline, capturing all data locally and syncing when connectivity returns. For adjusters working at remote loss sites, construction zones, or rural locations, this is a significant advantage.
- GPS evidence trails: Every photo and observation is automatically tagged with GPS coordinates, creating a verifiable evidence chain. Enterprise TPAs build this into their systems at great expense. FieldScribe AI includes it as a standard feature.
- Compliance checks: Built-in templates and compliance verification ensure reports meet carrier and regulatory standards. This parallels the quality audit systems that give Sedgwick's Digital Adjust Pro its 94% quality score.
The math is straightforward. Enterprise TPAs spend millions building AI for claims processing. An independent adjuster can access the field documentation and report generation layer of that capability for Rs 3,749/month. The triage, fraud detection, and portfolio analytics layers are not relevant to field adjusters, so the comparison is genuinely apples-to-apples where it matters.
For a detailed comparison of how FieldScribe AI stacks up against other tools in the market, read our comparison of FieldScribe AI vs Magicplan, Five Sigma, and Xactimate.
What Should Independent Adjusters Prioritize First?
Adopting AI does not mean trying to replicate everything a large TPA does. Independent adjusters should focus their technology investments on the areas that deliver the highest return on time and money.
A Practical Three-Step Adoption Roadmap
Step 1: Start with field documentation. This is where most adjusters lose the most time. Writing reports, organizing photos, transcribing notes. A tool like FieldScribe AI addresses all three problems in a single platform. The ROI is immediate: adjusters who switch from manual documentation to AI-assisted capture typically save 2 to 4 hours per claim. Over 20 claims per month, that is 40 to 80 hours freed up for additional assignments or better work-life balance. Learn more about the time savings in our guide on 10 ways AI saves time for loss adjusters.
Step 2: Add estimation tools if your carriers require them. Tools like Xactimate are standard for US property claims. If your market requires formal cost estimates, invest in the estimation tool your carriers expect. If not, skip this step entirely.
Step 3: Explore policy analysis and advanced AI gradually. General-purpose AI tools like ChatGPT can help with policy interpretation, drafting correspondence, and quick research. These are useful supplements, not primary workflow tools. Add them as needed, not all at once.
What you should not prioritize: do not try to build or buy enterprise fraud detection, automated triage, or portfolio analytics. These solve organizational problems, not field adjuster problems. If the carrier or TPA you work with uses these systems, your reports will feed into them automatically. You do not need your own version.
For more on how AI claims automation tools fit together, see our article on AI claims automation: Clive, V7, and FieldScribe for loss adjusters.
Will the Technology Gap Between TPAs and Independent Adjusters Keep Growing?
The honest answer: enterprise AI will continue advancing. Sedgwick, Crawford, and McLarens will keep investing in AI. Their models will get smarter, their automation will handle more tasks, and their data advantages will grow. The technology gap at the enterprise level will widen.
But the gap that matters most to independent adjusters, the quality and speed of field documentation and report generation, is actually shrinking. Tools like FieldScribe AI are making professional-quality output accessible to solo adjusters and small firms for the first time. Five years ago, an independent adjuster's report looked noticeably different from one produced by a large TPA's system. Today, with AI-assisted documentation, an independent adjuster using the right tools can produce reports that match or exceed enterprise output quality.
Who Will Carriers Prefer to Work With?
Carriers and TPAs are increasingly evaluating adjusters not just on experience but on turnaround time, documentation quality, and digital capability. An independent adjuster who submits AI-generated, GPS-verified, compliance-checked reports within 24 hours is more attractive than one who sends Word documents after three days, regardless of experience level.
The adjusters who adopt AI for field documentation now will build a track record of fast, high-quality, digitally verified work. When carriers expand their independent adjuster panels or reduce them, that track record will matter. Waiting for AI to become "easier" or "cheaper" means falling further behind every month.
What Is the Bottom Line for Independent Adjusters?
Large TPAs are building AI empires. Independent adjusters do not need empires. They need practical, affordable tools that make their daily work faster and their output better. The field documentation layer is where this is already possible. The adjusters who act on this now, rather than waiting for perfect solutions, will be the ones who thrive as the industry continues its shift toward AI-assisted claims processing. For a thorough analysis of whether AI will replace adjusters or change how they work, read our article on whether AI will replace insurance adjusters in 2026.
Start with the problem that costs you the most time. For most adjusters, that is documentation. Solve it with AI. Then build from there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shubham Jain
Co-Founder & Tech & Product Expert, FieldScribe AI
IIT Bombay alumnus with 5+ years in Product and Technology. Ex Tata, ex Daikin (Japan). Co-founder of NiryatSetu and TradeReboot. The brain and executor behind FieldScribe AI, specializing in AI/ML, speech recognition, and scalable mobile-first architectures.
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