Weather & Science

As California Fires Rage, One Insurer Uses AI for Coverage

  • Delos’s models allow it to back homeowners rejected by rivals
  • Almost a third of state residents live in wildfire-risk areas
An insurer using AI risk models offered a lifeline to homeowner in Chico, California, who was struggling to get coverage.Photographer: George Rose/Getty Images North America
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As the summer wildfire season gathers steam in California, one insurer using AI risk models is offering a lifeline to homeowners like Pete Rouse who are struggling to get coverage.

Rouse, a former firefighter, turned to Delos Insurance Solutions after his previous insurer pulled out, joining a host of companies that are either dramatically boosting prices or abandoning the state entirely. Never mind that Rouse’s home is in what he considers a safe area.