Redefining life insurance: Fairer pricing with AI vitals checks

Tackling the challenge of remote health risk assessment

Remote life insurance relies on forms and limited data, which can miss long-term risk. Lyfery set out to build a fully digital, prevention-focused product—no clinic visits, no mailed devices. The blocker was reliable blood pressure, the strongest single predictor of future mortality and disease risk, and traditionally hard to capture at home without hardware.

“Initially, we begin with just self-report questions, and they're actually quite good to give us a good indication of people's future health risks and disease risks. But it only takes us so far. We have an accuracy gap, and we need to try to measure more parameters to try to get more accurate predictions of where this person is heading in the next 20 years." - explains Taavi Tillman, Chief Scientific Officer at Lyfery and Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Tartu.

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Remote accuracy without devices

Lyfery set a clear bar: 100% digital onboarding. No clinic trips. No mailed hardware. The gap? Systolic blood pressure—the single most predictive long-term risk factor. Self-reports fall short, and sending people to a clinic undermines the promise. The team needed an at-home, objective blood pressure measure.

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“Systolic blood pressure is a very, very powerful predictor of risk. It's actually the number one risk predictor of death and disease in countries like Estonia and in many Eastern European countries. In the past, it was the one factor that we weren’t able to collect at home. And now suddenly there's an opportunity where we can. It's just like a holy grail.”
— Taavi Tillman, Chief Scientific Officer at Lyfery

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Why Shen AI

Shen AI measures blood pressure from a short face scan—no cuff, no device logistics. Lyfery added the most impactful risk factor without breaking the digital flow. Live demos consistently created a strong first impression with prospects and partners.

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“We wanted a 100% digital journey. Shen AI gave us reliable, device-free blood pressure in about 30 seconds. Integration took roughly two weeks, the demo delivers a clear ‘wow,’ and it keeps our pricing explainable and fair.”
— Mihkel Mandre, CEO of Lyfery

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Integration and validation

Integration took about 1-2 weeks, with a straightforward developer experience. Lyfery then ran a small field comparison at a local event in Estonia where participants measured blood pressure by comparing arm cuff vs. Shen AI face scan. It showed ~5–10 mmHg agreement—encouraging for pricing use while broader validations continue. 

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Lyfery’s score also accepts optional wearable connections and manual entries, but objective signals are weighted higher. Today, systolic blood pressure is a significant contributor to the overall lifestyle score.

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Impact

• Explainable pricing. As customers build healthier habits, their Lifestyle Score improves, and their premiums go down, with discounts reaching up to 50%.
  
  
• Higher credibility and engagement. The face-scan flow is fast, intuitive, and repeatedly produces a “wow” reaction in demos, helping overcome initial skepticism.
  
  
• Operational simplicity. No device logistics or clinic scheduling; Shen AI keeps Lyfery’s model fully digital.

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Looking ahead: Expanding preventive health services

Lyfery’s next milestone is to turn lifestyle scoring data into a personalized, science-based Wellness Roadmap. The new feature will help clients understand how everyday habits influence their long-term health, resilience, and longevity — and how they compare to others in similar groups.

The roadmap will go beyond static reports. It will provide dynamic insights, trends, and personalized recommendations that help people make smarter lifestyle choices, improve well-being, and reduce preventable risks.

By shifting the focus from insurance protection to health prevention, Lyfery aims to create a more emotionally engaging, data-driven, and rewarding experience — one that connects healthier living with real financial benefits.

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