Naked Insurance has become the first South African company to release a native app in OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform, a move that signals the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) as an interface for digital commerce.
The South African-based insurance technology (insurtech) platform, which uses AI to offer cover for cars, homes and other valuables, has become the first company globally to develop and deploy an app that can provide a final, binding car insurance quote.
Alex Thomson, co-founder of Naked Insurance, told Business Day the integration connects directly to the same live underwriting and rating technology that powers quoting and buying on its website and app.
While a number of insurance providers including Tuio and Skywatch.ai have their apps running through ChatGPT, the differentiator for Naked is that a quote generated from the AI interface is the final premium, and not an indicative estimate that requires an additional quoting process later.
In recent years the rise in AI adoption has shifted how consumers find and interact with platforms, even challenging Google’s dominance as an online search engine and best way to discover the internet. Internet players including Booking.com, Canva, Airtable and Spotify have built native apps in ChatGPT to take advantage of time spent on the AI service.
Thomson said the OpenAI integration serves as a testing ground for possible new ways in which consumers find and interact with Naked’s platform.
The move appears to be a natural extension for Naked, whose rapid growth has been fuelled by its ability to reduce the tedious processes associated with insurance products through technology.
Co-founded by actuaries Sumarie Greybe, Ernest North and Thomson, Naked uses AI and automation that enables customers do all their insurance business online, including claims management — a far cry from traditional phone and form-based business.
The firm’s automated operations mean fewer staff and lower costs that are passed on to customers.
“Our app and website are the best way to use Naked today. We believe AI assistants will, in time, become one of the primary ways people interact with financial products and we want to be ready for that next industry shift,” said Thomson.
In his view, this represents an early step towards a future where consumers will use AI assistants to understand, compare and manage financial products on their behalf.
“We are not waiting for AI interfaces to go mainstream,” he said. “We are making sure our technology is ready when our customers are. Our ChatGPT app is an exploratory step into a world where AI assistants could help manage a lot of your car and insurance-related admin on your behalf, according to your needs and preferences.”
Thomson said investment in the new capability is tied to the $38m the company raised in a Series B extension funding round in early 2025. This is Naked’s largest funding round to date. In 2021 Foundry, Naspers’ South Africa-focused tech investment fund, led the firm’s $11m Series A, offering $8.3m. In 2023 the company raised another $17m in a Series B round.
Business Day
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