From drones hovering overhead to connected cars on the roads around us, rapid advances in technology are leading to radical new practices in business and science. These advances may bring benefits for consumers as well as challenges for insurers, while an information revolution unfolds and our world suddenly grows more complex. How can we make the best use of new sources of data? And can the potential pitfalls be avoided? In this stream of innovation, just keeping track of evolving technologies seems like a full-time job.

The increasing use of commercial drones means more than the possibility of aerial home deliveries of goods. Drones are changing the way insurers handle claims, survey properties and assess remote risks. Likewise, social media and the flood of data that it provides are signaling similar sea changes. Claims adjusters suddenly have a window into a wealth of relevant, real-time information about policyholders that helps speed the evaluation of claims.