Innovation PODs Launch Solutions

For a few dozen data scientists, engineers and analytics experts at Travelers, TGIF means more than the universal ending to the work week. Friday afternoons also mean time spent collaborating in “Innovation PODs.”

This dedicated time each Friday for more than 10 years has been drawing teams together to explore leading-edge technologies, approaches and data sources that could benefit Travelers’ Claim operations. The data engineers and scientists within our Claim Business Intelligence & Analytics (CBIA) and Claim Technology use the time to immerse themselves in new programming languages, dive deep into machine learning and AI algorithms or explore the emerging capabilities of graphical neural networks.

In addition to having the chance to work with leading-edge technology, employees can gather in small groups with colleagues from different teams to spark creativity and new ideas.

Ultimately, many of the ideas that take hold in the Innovation PODs lead to new products and services. From using graphical neural networks to improve fraud detection rates to applying image recognition software to property claims, the list of successful business applications that started with those Friday gatherings continues to grow. Since 2019, for example, Travelers has won two national CIO 100 awards and three Gartner “Eye on Innovation” awards for projects that started out as exploratory POD topics.

Employees use the POD time to learn to use tools like Python and Spark – some for the first time – along with skills to build machine learning, deep learning and generative AI models to meet business challenges. And with the increasing focus on leveraging generative AI, our POD teams are exploring ideas to leverage large language models more broadly.

Leaders initially chose Friday afternoons as the ideal time to set aside for innovation work, reasoning that fewer scheduled meetings on everyone’s calendars would make it more sustainable over time. 

Our commitment to fostering innovation through dedicated initiatives like Innovation PODs underscores our belief that investing in our people is the key to driving forward-thinking solutions. By providing our data scientists, engineers and analytics experts with the time and resources to explore cutting-edge technologies and collaborate across teams, we are not only enhancing our capabilities but also creating a culture of continuous learning and creativity. As we look to the future, we remain dedicated to empowering our employees to push the boundaries of what’s possible, ensuring that we continue to lead the way in delivering innovative solutions for our customers.