The new “mitigation-aware scoring” capability enables insurers to account for real-world upgrades—such as replacing aging roofs, upgrading materials, or correcting structural deficiencies—directly within property-level assessments. Verified updates can be applied in real time, improving accuracy for underwriting, rating, and customer engagement.
ZestyAI highlighted three primary applications for the technology: recognizing completed mitigation, correcting inaccurate property data, and simulating the effects of potential upgrades. Carriers can use the feature to demonstrate the value of proactive improvements, helping agents and homeowners understand how risk reduction measures translate into lower exposure and fairer pricing.
“Models should be powerful, but also flexible and responsive to real-world improvements,” said Kumar Dhuvur, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at ZestyAI. “By enabling insurers to incorporate mitigation and field data into model outputs, we’re supporting transparent, action-oriented risk management that benefits both insurers and homeowners.”
The approach builds on capabilities already available in ZestyAI’s wildfire risk products, including Z-FIRE™ and Compliance Pre-Fill, where insurers can recognize mitigation efforts such as defensible space or Class A roofs. Extending this functionality to severe convective storms ensures a consistent method of incorporating verified improvements across multiple perils.
The company said the new feature reflects its broader “human-in-the-loop AI” philosophy, giving insurers control over key decisions while maintaining visibility into the data behind each score. Integration with the ZestyAI platform supports underwriting, inspections, and regulatory compliance, while optimizing accuracy and customer fairness.
ZestyAI’s storm models—Z-HAIL™, Z-WIND™, and Z-STORM™—draw on claims data and property-specific features such as roof geometry, condition, and surrounding vegetation. The models are already approved for use in more than 20 U.S. states across the Great Plains, Midwest, and South, regions that are most vulnerable to severe convective storms.
