YuLife Launches “Preventative AI” to Predict and Prevent Health Risk in Real Time

YuLife, the insurtech transforming employee benefits through behavioural science and gamified wellness, has announced the launch of Preventative AI, an innovative technology that transforms underwriting and risk management by integrating real-time health insights, predictive analytics, and incentivised behavioural change.

Built at the intersection of biometric computing, machine learning and explainable AI, Preventative AI marks a shift in the insurance industry from reactive risk assessment to proactive risk mitigation, empowering insurers and businesses to support policyholders in leading healthier lives while improving underwriting precision.

Historically, insurers have struggled to leverage real-time data effectively. While wearables provided health tracking, engagement was low, limiting their impact on underwriting models. 

Real-Time, Multi-Modal Risk Intelligence

Traditional risk assessment tools rely on legacy datasets and backwards-looking models. YuLife’s Preventative AI uses a multi-layered approach that includes:

• Streaming biometric data from wearables and IoT devices (e.g. heart rate variability, VO₂ max, sleep cycles, movement patterns)

• Causal AI to infer relationships between behavioural signals and health outcomes

• Reinforcement learning to adapt engagement strategies based on user response

• Federated learning architecture to scale across populations while preserving privacy

This enables dynamic modelling of individual and cohort-level risk, empowering early interventions and delivering hyper-personalised health recommendations at scale.

“This isn’t just AI on top of insurance, it’s a fundamental rebuild of the stack,” said John Ronayne, Lead Data Scientist at YuLife. “We’ve designed an adaptive risk engine that continuously learns, engages, and optimises, which delivers value to users and underwriters in real time.

Early Identification and Personalised Interventions

Preventative AI continuously analyses a wide array of health indicators—from physical activity, sleep patterns, and heart rate variability to mental wellbeing markers—to identify early signs of health risks. Unlike conventional underwriting that assesses risk at a fixed point in time, Preventative AI dynamically adjusts risk models based on individual behavioural trends.

Once potential risks are detected, tailored interventions are offered to policyholders, from lifestyle recommendations and mental health support to seamless pathways to virtual GPs, Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs), and NHS services.

Preventative AI aligns with the UK Government’s vision for a more proactive healthcare system. By integrating early risk detection and incentivised health improvements, it supports NHS efforts to reduce waiting lists and prioritise preventative care.

“We’ve trained our models on thousands of behavioural signals to answer a core question: what makes people stick with wellbeing habits?” said Ronayne. “The result is an AI engine that doesn’t just understand risk – it reshapes it

Validated Risk Reduction and Claims Cost Savings

Preventative AI is built on a validated cycle: Engaged policyholders adopt healthier behaviours → Lower individual health risks → Improved underwriting accuracy → Reduced claims costs → More competitive pricing and higher retention. This creates a win-win scenario for insurers and policyholders alike.

The effectiveness of Preventative AI has already been validated through YuLife’s partnership with the University of Essex, which demonstrated a direct correlation between increased engagement in YuLife’s wellbeing features and reduced risk factors over time. By applying these findings, insurers using Preventative AI can anticipate:

• Lower claims frequency and severity due to early intervention and risk mitigation.

• Enhanced underwriting models with predictive insights into mortality and morbidity trends.

• Increased policyholder engagement and retention, driven by a more interactive insurance experience.

“The findings from YuLife’s study with the University of Essex and Innovate UK highlight an exciting evolution in how we think about workplace wellbeing and insurance risk. From a reinsurer’s perspective, the exploration of preventative behaviours and dynamic incentives offers promising signals for the future of group insurance—particularly in how we assess, engage with, and reduce long-term health risks. It’s encouraging to see how YuLife is innovating in this space grounded in real-world data and academic rigour.” – Jules Constantinou, Regional Manager: UK and Ireland at Gen Re Life UK 

A New Standard for Insurance

As the insurance industry faces mounting pressure to adopt more data-driven, personalised, and proactive approaches, Preventative AI offers a groundbreaking solution to enhance underwriting models, reduce claims volatility, and promote policyholder wellbeing.

“We’re building a system that doesn’t just help individuals live healthier lives, but also provides insurers with a more accurate, dynamic way to manage risk,” Sammy Rubin, founder and CEO of YuLife says. “By continuously monitoring engagement and health data, Preventative AI enables smarter underwriting decisions, more sustainable pricing models, and ultimately, lower claims costs.”

YuLife believes Preventative AI can serve as a blueprint for the future of AI-integrated insurance and wellbeing, as both private and public sectors look to embed health AI at scale.