Humana launches Google Cloud’s Agent Assist
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Humana launches Google Cloud’s Agent Assist The AI assistant offers personalized answers to members’ health benefit questions.
Patient Engagement By Susan Morse , Executive Editor | February 2, 2026 | 10:54 AM Photo: Peter Blottman Photography/Getty Images Humana has announced the launch of Agent Assist built with Google Cloud’s AI.The technology is integrated into call center systems. When members call to talk to a Humana representative, Agent Assist operates in the background to provides member advocates with proactive guidance, compliance support and automated call summaries, Humana said. Agent Assist also directly answers member health benefit questions. Each year, more than 20,000 member advocates handle up to 80 million calls.Together, these capabilities help reduce manual workload, strengthen training, improve consistency across interactions and ensure advocates can prioritize member needs effectively, Humana said. Humana member advocates began using Agent Assist in October 2025, with full rollout planned for Humana member service centers in 2026. Humana said this expanded collaboration with Google Cloud has a central goal of redefining how technology and AI can strengthen human connection and improve the member experience. Additionally, Agent Assist incorporates Google Cloud’s enterprise-grade capabilities for data privacy, security, and transparency. Built on Humana’s agentic AI platform, Agent Assist uses Google Cloud’s Vertex AI, Gemini, and Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience (CX) to help member advocates navigate benefit details or answer eligibility questions. This ensures that advocates remain accountable for member engagement and decision-making, while AI gives personalized support. The AI agent is continuously reviewed and monitored to ensure ongoing compliance and performance. “We are always looking for new ways to enhance the member experience by making those interactions more personalized, accurate and faster,” said Japan Mehta, chief information officer, Humana. “Agent Assist puts responsible innovation directly into the hands of our advocates, helping them to focus on what matters most – helping our members.” “Our collaboration with Humana is a blueprint for the future of healthcare—where technology doesn’t replace the human element, but radically enhances it,” said Chris Sakalosky, vice president, Strategic Industries, Google Cloud. “By integrating Gemini Enterprise for CX, we’re giving Humana’s advocates an agent that handles the complexity of benefits in the background, so they can focus on the empathy and care that members deserve. This isn't just about efficiency; it's about redefining the standard for member support.” Email the writer: [email protected] Topic: Accounting & Financial Management, Artificial Intelligence, Patient Engagement