AND-E brings Mind Foundry’s AI consulting team fully into Oxford research lab

AND-E has completed the acquisition of Mind Foundry’s AI consulting division, folding the team into Aioi R&D Lab – Oxford as part of a longer-term push to embed applied AI more deeply across insurance, mobility, and societal risk.

Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance, through its European subsidiary AND-E, has acquired the AI consulting division of Mind Foundry, formally bringing the team into Aioi R&D Lab – Oxford and ending the joint venture structure that has been in place since the Lab’s launch in 2022.

The move consolidates applied AI development, research, and delivery under a single organizational structure in Oxford, with implications for how AI is developed and operationalized across insurance, public infrastructure, and risk management. It also signals a tightening link between academic research, commercial deployment, and long-term skills development in AI-intensive sectors.

From joint venture to single team

Aioi R&D Lab – Oxford was founded as a joint venture between Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance, AND-E, and Mind Foundry, an Oxford University spin-out. The acquisition formalizes the transfer of Mind Foundry’s AI development consulting business into the Lab, including staff, contracts, and intellectual property.

According to AND-E, more than 20 Oxford-based researchers will now work as a single team, combining insurance expertise with applied machine learning and data science. The Lab continues to work closely with the University of Oxford and is advised by an academic board that includes Mind Foundry co-founders Professor Stephen Roberts and Professor Michael A. Osborne.

Junichi Ikegami, CEO of Aioi R&D Lab – Oxford, says the change reflects how the organization sees AI’s role evolving. “Insurance plays a pivotal role in helping people navigate some of the biggest challenges facing our planet and our communities,” he says. “By integrating Mind Foundry’s AI consulting capability more deeply into the Lab, AND-E is demonstrating its commitment to cutting-edge innovation that delivers both business value and tangible benefits for society.”

Applied AI across insurance and infrastructure

The Lab’s work to date has focused on applying AI to practical challenges, including fraud detection, claims handling, aging infrastructure, and road safety. AND-E reports that projects delivered in the UK have contributed to a two percent reduction in overall claims costs, a five-fold increase in retained automated fraud referrals, and a 120 percent improvement in fraud detection.

In Japan, research has included AI systems designed to detect early signs of cognitive decline in drivers and tools to support local governments in inspecting and managing aging infrastructure such as bridges.

Professor Michael A. Osborne, an advisory board member at the Lab, reflects on how the focus has developed. “In its first three years, the Lab has laid the groundwork for applying AI both to insurance and to broader societal challenges such as risks to biodiversity,” he says. “Backed by Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance and drawing on deep connections to the University of Oxford, we’re now entering an exciting new phase.”

Professor Stephen Roberts adds that the Lab’s emphasis has always extended beyond narrow commercial use cases. “From its outset, the Lab has laid the foundation for algorithms of all levels of sophistication to work in harmony with society,” he says, pointing to applications across risk mitigation, sustainability, and the wider impacts of AI.

Leadership perspectives on consolidation

The acquisition has also been acknowledged publicly by leaders at Mind Foundry, who shared reflections on LinkedIn following the announcement.

Davide Zilli, Chief Technology Officer at Mind Foundry, writes that the move reflects continuity rather than disruption. “It’s not a fresh start,” he says. “We built a strong partnership over the last five years as two separate companies in a joint venture.” He adds, “Now we are one team.”

Lindsay Chadwick, CEO of Mind Foundry, frames the transaction as a strategic narrowing of focus. “Today marks a significant milestone for Mind Foundry as we consolidate our focus on applied machine learning for defence and national security,” she writes. “We’re saying goodbye to our Consulting Business Unit, which has been acquired by Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance and will continue its work within the Aioi R&D Lab.”

For AND-E, the acquisition positions the Oxford Lab as a central AI capability within the wider MS&AD Insurance Group, with a remit that spans insurance, mobility, and broader societal resilience. For the EdTech and skills landscape, it also underscores the growing importance of long-term, applied AI environments where research, workforce development, and real-world deployment increasingly converge.