**VERISK**
Verisk Analytics has released Xactimate 29, a major update to the industry's dominant property claims estimating platform, featuring AI-powered damage assessment that can automatically identify and scope water, fire, and mold damage from uploaded photographs.
The machine learning models, trained on more than 50 million historical claims, can detect moisture intrusion patterns, char depth, and mold growth from standard smartphone photos with approximately 87% accuracy compared to manual assessments by experienced adjusters.
"This is the most significant advancement in claims technology since the introduction of digital estimating," said Verisk President Mark Anquillare. "Adjusters can now generate a preliminary scope in minutes rather than hours, allowing them to focus on complex judgment calls rather than routine documentation."
The AI features are available to all Xactimate subscribers at no additional cost. The platform also introduces direct integration with IICRC S500 and S520 standards, automatically flagging estimates that fall below protocol minimums.
Restoration contractors have expressed mixed reactions, with some welcoming the efficiency gains and others concerned about AI-generated scopes that may underestimate damage.
