Humana

How they deploy

Deployment model

Humana runs AI through its central technology organization under Chief Information Officer Japan Mehta, who reports to CEO Jim Rechtin and whose remit covers technology systems, infrastructure, cybersecurity, digital and AI, with business units such as the Insurance segment's service centers and CenterWell's clinics as the users. The agentic AI platform behind Agent Assist is Humana's own build, with Agent Assist using Google Cloud's models and tools, while clinical and utilization tools come from vendors (Cohere Health, Abridge, athenahealth) and finance work from Genpact. Humana hired Santosh Bardwaj as senior vice president of enterprise AI in May 2026, according to Becker's, and Bhagyesh Phanse as chief data and analytics officer to lead its enterprise data and analytics strategy, according to CDO Magazine, but has not published where either team sits.

Model providers

Google is the only model provider Humana has named: Agent Assist uses Gemini through Google Cloud's Vertex AI and Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience (Feb 2026). Microsoft's Oct 2019 seven-year partnership with Humana included Azure AI services such as translation and voice tools. Humana's vendors run their own AI: Cohere Health for prior authorization, Abridge for ambient notes and athenahealth's athenaOne in CenterWell clinics. Humana has not said whether staff have a general-purpose assistant from OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft or Google, although Anthropic's chief commercial officer joined Humana's board in Jul 2026.

Data and infrastructure

The models behind Humana's Agent Assist run on Google Cloud, and Agent Assist draws on Humana's internal health plan information and policy documentation, showing advocates citations and source references (Healthcare Dive, Feb 2026). Humana signed a multi-year agreement in Jul 2024 to further modernize its cloud infrastructure with Google Cloud, which said its customers keep control of their data; Humana has not said which workloads moved. Humana named Microsoft its preferred cloud provider in an Oct 2019 seven-year deal to modernize its platforms and aggregate member data on Azure; Humana has not said whether that arrangement continues past 2026. Humana's 2025 Form 10-K says it depends on third parties for significant parts of its systems, including data center operations and data networks. Humana's chief data and analytics officer said in Dec 2021 that most of Humana's compute was on-premises when he joined in Dec 2018 and that Humana set out to migrate to the cloud.

Leadership

AI, data and platform leaders

AI org map

Central technology organization under the CIO; AI used in the service centers and CenterWell clinics

Humana runs technology, data and AI through Chief Information Officer Japan Mehta, one of its executive officers, who reports to Jim Rechtin, and added a senior vice president of enterprise AI and a chief data and analytics officer in May 2026. Humana's two segments, Insurance and CenterWell, are the main users of AI: the Insurance segment's member service centers run Agent Assist, and CenterWell's clinics run ambient documentation and athenaOne. A transformation office, which Jim Rechtin said was set up about 17 months before Apr 2026, tracks Humana's efficiency initiatives and lends staff to the business units, which own the changes.

Humana has not published the size of its AI or data science workforce. Humana's AI work sits in the technology organization under Chief Information Officer Japan Mehta, with a senior vice president of enterprise AI and a chief data and analytics officer hired in May 2026, and in the business units that use it: the Insurance segment's service centers, where more than 20,000 member advocates work, and CenterWell's primary care clinics, with more than 1,300 clinicians. Humana also relies on outside partners for much of its AI: Google Cloud for the models and tools in Agent Assist, and Cohere Health, Abridge, athenahealth and Genpact for specialist tools and services.

Use cases

Humana has named a handful of AI use cases in production: Agent Assist for member advocates and for brokers and sales agents, generative AI for care management documentation, AI-assisted prior authorization through Cohere Health, and ambient clinical notes in CenterWell primary care. Humana has published no business return for any single use case. Humana's only AI-linked financial figure is Jim Rechtin's Nov 2025 expectation of more than $100 million of savings over a few years from the agentic AI platform and finance outsourcing combined, and CFO Celeste Mellet said in Jul 2026 that big benefits from technology are not yet reflected.

Adoption

Humana has spread AI by function rather than through a company-wide employee tool. AI-assisted prior authorization through Cohere Health grew from a 12-state pilot in Jan 2021 to a national program across five service categories by Apr 2024; generative AI reached care managers by Oct 2024 and AI tools reached contact center representatives by Apr 2025; and member advocates began using Agent Assist in Oct 2025, with full rollout planned for 2026 across service centers with more than 20,000 advocates. In CenterWell's clinics, ambient AI documentation was in place by Aug 2025 and Jim Rechtin described it as rolling out in Nov 2025. Humana has published no weekly or daily AI user count and has not said whether its roughly 67,060 employees have a general-purpose AI assistant.

By the numbers

Economics & controls

Recent signals

1. Oct 15, 2026

   The court in Barrows v. Humana, the case alleging Humana used the nH Predict AI model to deny post-acute care, issued a scheduling order, with the plaintiffs' class certification motion due Nov 5, 2026.

   Georgetown Health Care Litigation Tracker

2. Aug 20, 2026

   Humana named Dr. Shantanu Nundy chief medical officer from Aug 31, 2026, reporting to Jim Rechtin, with a remit that includes Humana's use of AI; the post had been empty since Oct 2025.

   Humana

3. Jul 29, 2026

   Humana elected Anthropic's Chief Commercial Officer Paul Smith and a former Aflac president and chief operating officer to its board, bringing it to 13 directors.

   Form 8-K

4. Jul 29, 2026

   Jim Rechtin said Humana aims to lead on innovation through automation, AI and the best-performing vendors and that operating model efforts yielded hundreds of millions of dollars in value in the first half of 2026; CFO Celeste Mellet said big benefits from technology are not yet reflected.

   Q2 2026 earnings call transcript

5. May 2026

   CDO Magazine reported that Humana named Bhagyesh Phanse, formerly Starbucks' chief data and analytics officer, as senior vice president and chief data and analytics officer, describing him as an advocate of a human-centric approach to AI.

   CDO Magazine

6. May 2026

   Becker's reported, citing a May 15 LinkedIn post, that Humana hired Santosh Bardwaj, formerly of JPMorganChase, as senior vice president of enterprise AI.

   Becker's Payer Issues

7. Mar 16, 2026

   Zacks reported that Genpact expanded its partnership with Humana to support AI-enabled work in revenue cycle management, procurement and finance and accounting.

   Zacks

8. Feb 19, 2026

   Humana's 2025 Form 10-K reported about 67,060 associates and gave the board's Audit and Technology Committees joint oversight of emerging technology such as AI.

   2025 Form 10-K

9. Feb 3, 2026

   Humana announced Agent Assist, built on its agentic AI platform with Google Cloud's Vertex AI and Gemini, in use since Oct 2025 and due for full rollout in 2026 across service centers where more than 20,000 advocates handle up to 80 million calls a year.

   Humana

10. Jan 29, 2026

    athenahealth said CenterWell runs athenaOne across about 350 CenterWell Senior Primary Care and Conviva sites in 15 states, supporting more than 1,300 clinicians.

    Business Wire

11. Nov 10, 2025

    Jim Rechtin told Fortune that Humana is rolling out ambient listening for its doctors and had just rolled out an Agent Assist tool for brokers and sales agents.

    Fortune

12. Nov 5, 2025

    Jim Rechtin said Humana's newly introduced agentic AI platform and its finance outsourcing to Genpact should together save more than $100 million over a few years.

    Q3 2025 earnings call transcript

Quick answers

How does Humana deploy AI?

Humana deploys AI mostly in operations: its own agentic AI platform runs Agent Assist, which uses Google Cloud's Gemini models and is rolling out across service centers with more than 20,000 member advocates, while bought tools handle prior authorization (Cohere Health) and CenterWell clinical notes (Abridge). CIO Japan Mehta owns digital and AI. Humana has reported no return it credits to AI and no count of employees using its AI tools; its only savings figure, more than $100 million over a few years, also counts finance outsourcing.

What does Humana use AI for?

Humana has named a handful of AI use cases in production: Agent Assist for member advocates and for brokers and sales agents, generative AI for care management documentation, AI-assisted prior authorization through Cohere Health, and ambient clinical notes in CenterWell primary care. Humana has published no business return for any single use case. Humana's only AI-linked financial figure is Jim Rechtin's Nov 2025 expectation of more than $100 million of savings over a few years from the agentic AI platform and finance outsourcing combined, and CFO Celeste Mellet said in Jul 2026 that big benefits from technology are not yet reflected.

Who leads AI at Humana?

AI at Humana is led by Japan Mehta (Chief Information Officer); Santosh Bardwaj (Senior Vice President, Enterprise AI); Bhagyesh Phanse (Senior Vice President and Chief Data and Analytics Officer). Ownership of AI on the org chart: CIO Japan Mehta, reporting to the CEO; SVP of enterprise AI since May 2026.

What AI platform does Humana use?

Humana built its own agentic AI platform, which runs Agent Assist for member advocates with Google Cloud's models (Feb 2026), and buys AI tools for prior authorization (Cohere Health), clinical notes (Abridge) and its primary care records system (athenahealth).

Which AI models does Humana use?

Agent Assist uses Google Cloud's Vertex AI, Gemini and Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience; Humana has named no other model provider, and its vendors bring their own models.

How many Humana employees use AI?

Humana member advocates began using Agent Assist in Oct 2025, with full rollout planned for 2026 across service centers where more than 20,000 advocates handle up to 80 million calls a year; Humana has not said how many use it.

How far has AI spread at Humana?

Humana has reported no business return it credits to AI. Its only savings figure, more than $100 million over a few years, is an expectation Jim Rechtin gave on Nov 5, 2025 for the agentic AI platform and finance outsourcing to Genpact combined; the hundreds of millions of dollars of operating model value he cited on Jul 29, 2026 covers centralization, outsourcing and automation with no AI share; and CFO Celeste Mellet said the same day that big benefits from technology are not yet reflected. Gains from single tools are task measures, such as care managers spending half as long on post-call documentation (Oct 2024), not cost or revenue returns. Humana has not reported a company-wide AI rollout with a user count either: member advocates have used Agent Assist since Oct 2025, with full rollout planned for 2026 across service centers of more than 20,000 advocates, but Humana has not said how many use it or named any AI tool for its roughly 67,060 employees as a whole. That leaves Humana at Experimenting although AI runs in production in call centers, care management, prior authorization and primary care; one cost, revenue or headcount return it credits to AI, or a company-wide user count with a named owner, would move it to Piloting.

Open questions

• Does Humana give its roughly 67,060 employees a general-purpose AI assistant, and how many use AI tools each week?
• How much of the expected savings of more than $100 million comes from the agentic AI platform rather than the Genpact finance outsourcing, and how much had been realized by late 2026?
• What business return has Agent Assist delivered since rollout began in Oct 2025, in handle time, staffing or cost per call?
• Which models run on Humana's agentic AI platform besides Google's Gemini, and does the Anthropic board appointment in Jul 2026 signal a model partnership?
• Is Microsoft Azure still Humana's preferred cloud after the seven-year deal signed in Oct 2019, and where do Humana's other AI workloads run?
• What do Santosh Bardwaj's enterprise AI team and Bhagyesh Phanse's data and analytics organization each own, how large are they, and whom do they report to?
• What return have Humana's other deployed AI tools delivered, including care management documentation, Cohere Health prior authorization and CenterWell's ambient notes?
• What share of Humana's prior authorization requests does Cohere Health's AI approve without clinician review, and does any AI tool contribute to denials?
• Will Humana quantify AI savings at its Dec 10, 2026 investor update?
• How will the Barrows v. Humana class certification ruling, and any finding on nH Predict, affect Humana's use of AI in coverage decisions?

Sources