Gemma is now a member of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, better known as the Big “I”.
Gemma is a 24/7 AI coworker for independent insurance agencies and brokerages. It works in the channels an agency's insureds already use. A broker forwards a client email, loops Gemma into a text thread, or gives insureds a phone number that answers at any hour. Gemma runs the intake, asks the insured for whatever is missing, works up the quote, fills the ACORD, and hands it back for the broker's review. One memory sits behind text, email and phone, so an insured who texts on Tuesday and calls on Friday never has to repeat themselves.
Why we joined
We run a commercial brokerage ourselves, and Gemma works our own book every day. The problems it handles are the ones we lived through as agents: submissions that took days because of ACORDs and supplementals, and business lost to whoever reached the market first. The Big “I” is where the independent agency channel organises itself, so it is where we want to be listening, learning and contributing.
“We built Gemma because we were the agency that was too slow, and we did not want to stay that way,” says Jatin Sandilya, founder of Gemma. “Independent agents win on advice and relationships. Gemma takes the inbox, the intake and the forms, and a broker still reviews everything before it reaches a carrier. Joining the Big ‘I’ puts us alongside the agents we build for.”
The agent stays in the loop
Gemma is broker in the loop by default. It drafts replies, fills forms and works up quotes, and a person reviews before anything reaches a carrier or goes out on a binding basis. Each agency decides which routine sends, like chasing an insured for missing details, Gemma may handle alone. Binding policies, issuing payments and submitting directly into carrier portals are out of scope today.
That matches what insurance buyers say they want. In a Big “I” consumer survey released in September 2026, 87% of consumers said having a human insurance agent is important when making insurance decisions. Only 6% were comfortable relying on AI alone, and 61% said they would prefer an agent who uses AI to tailor coverage and speed up the process. As Big “I” president and CEO Charles Symington put it when the survey was released: “AI can speed up the process, but it can’t replace what an independent agent brings: market access, deep product knowledge and a relationship built over time.”
We agree. Gemma is built to make the agent faster, and the agent remains the one giving the advice.
About the Big “I”
Founded in 1896, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America is a federation of the national association and 51 independent state associations, supporting more than 25,000 independent agency locations nationwide. Its stated mission is to give independent agents and brokers a sustainable competitive advantage through tools, resources, advocacy and support. Its programs include the Trusted Choice consumer brand, Big “I” Professional Liability (E&O) coverage, market access through Big “I” Alliance, education, the Best Practices study, and advocacy in Washington.
The channel it represents is large. According to the Big “I” 2026 Market Share Report, which uses AM Best data, independent agents placed 62% of all property and casualty premiums written in the U.S. in 2025, including 87.7% of commercial lines.
See Gemma on a real workflow
If you run an independent agency and want to see Gemma handle an intake, a quote or an ACORD from your own inbox, book a call.