Paper Number
ECIS2026-2611
Paper Type
SP
Abstract
This research in progress examines ethical issues in insurance recommender systems, where recommendations can influence financial protection. RSs are well established in e-commerce and entertainment, but insurance presents specific ethical issues that are less explored. We used a reflexive thematic analysis to highlight ethical issues before any large RS deployment in insurance companies. To this end, we conducted semi-structured interviews with insurance, legal, and ethical professionals to anticipate issues as perceived by these professionals. Early findings show four key patterns: regulatory gaps between current legal frameworks and RS capabilities, opacity in technical processes that obscures decision-making, the transfer of digital trust from consumer platforms to insurance decisions, and the conflict between client needs and organizational financial objectives. These results show insurance RSs require ethical frameworks to address their particular social fairness and financial inclusion impacts.
Recommended Citation
Aouadi, Ines; Mellouli, Sehl; and Badard, Thierry, "Anticipating Ethical Issues Of Recommender Systems: An Exploratory Study In The Insurance Domain" (2026). ECIS 2026 Proceedings. 6.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2026/is_policy/is_policy/6
Anticipating Ethical Issues Of Recommender Systems: An Exploratory Study In The Insurance Domain
This research in progress examines ethical issues in insurance recommender systems, where recommendations can influence financial protection. RSs are well established in e-commerce and entertainment, but insurance presents specific ethical issues that are less explored. We used a reflexive thematic analysis to highlight ethical issues before any large RS deployment in insurance companies. To this end, we conducted semi-structured interviews with insurance, legal, and ethical professionals to anticipate issues as perceived by these professionals. Early findings show four key patterns: regulatory gaps between current legal frameworks and RS capabilities, opacity in technical processes that obscures decision-making, the transfer of digital trust from consumer platforms to insurance decisions, and the conflict between client needs and organizational financial objectives. These results show insurance RSs require ethical frameworks to address their particular social fairness and financial inclusion impacts.
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