The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Retirement Professionals and Retirees: A Collection of Essays
Published April 28, 2026
Authors
Ali, Syed Danish, CSPA
Livingston, Sathiya
Orfanos, Stefanos, FSA, Ph.D.
Rajendran, Niranjan, B.Sc. (Hons)
This essay collection explores the multifaceted impacts of AI/Large Language Model tools on retirement professionals, retirees and those planning for retirement. It serves as a resource that will aid in the understanding of relevant issues while providing current considerations and potential future dynamics of AI and Large Language Models in this area.
Overview
This collection focuses on two winning essays among others:
The Messy Complexity of Real Lives by Stefano Orfanos
The Augmented Actuary and the Empowered Retiree: Navigating the AI Paradigm Shift in Retirement Security, by Niranjan Rajendran
Key Findings
This essay by Orfanos describes a future where retirement planners collaborate with AI to address complex retirement scenarios. The narrative and the linked artifact were generated with the help of AI.
This essay by Rajendran noted that LLM process natural language, detect patterns, generate insights, and even draft narratives that sound convincingly human. For a sector as sensitive as retirement, where actuarial precision, fiduciary trust, and the vulnerabilities of aging converge, the adoption of AI offers both transformative promise and profound risk. The challenge is to strike a balance: leveraging AI’s capacity for insight while ensuring that retirees and professionals remain protected.
FAQ
Question: Why did the SOA pursue this AI retirement research?
Answer:
The SOA Research Institute’s Aging and Retirement program is interested in an exploration of this AI retirement topic from a variety of perspectives. The result of this effort is intended to provide a useful resource for readers to become well-grounded on the issues surrounding the impact of these tools in a retirement context and set the stage for future research.
AWARD WINNER
The Messy Complexity of Real Lives
Stefanos Orfanos, FSA, Ph.D.
AWARD WINNER
The Augmented Actuary and the Empowered Retiree: Navigating the AI Paradigm Shift in Retirement Security
Niranjan Rajendran, B.Sc. (Hons)
Remaining Essays
Ghosts in the Code, Shadows in the Ice: Retirement in the Age of AI
Syed Danish Ali, CSPA
Algorithmic Longevity: How AI and LLMs Could Reshape Retirement Planning by Predicting Health, Lifespan, and Spending Needs
Sathiya Livingston
Essay Collection
Suggested Citation
Orfanos, Stefanos. The Messy Complexity of Real Lives. Society of Actuaries Research Institute, April 2026. https://www.soa.org/resources/research-reports/2026/ai-retirement-essay-collection/
Rajendran, Niranjan. The Augmented Actuary and the Empowered Retiree: Navigating the AI Paradigm Shift in Retirement Security. Society of Actuaries Research Institute, April 2026. https://www.soa.org/resources/research-reports/2026/ai-retirement-essay-collection/
Ali, Syed Danish. Ghosts in the Code, Shadows in the Ice: Retirement in the Age of AI. Society of Actuaries Research Institute, April 2026. https://www.soa.org/resources/research-reports/2026/ai-retirement-essay-collection/
Livingston, Sathiya. Algorithmic Longevity: How AI and LLMs Could Reshape Retirement Planning by Predicting Health, Lifespan, and Spending Needs. Society of Actuaries Research Institute, April 2026. https://www.soa.org/resources/research-reports/2026/ai-retirement-essay-collection/
Orfanos, Stefanos, Rajendran, Niranjan, Ali, Syed Danish, and Livingston, Sathiya. The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Retirement Professionals and Retirees: A Collection of Essays. Society of Actuaries Research Institute, April 2026. https://www.soa.org/resources/research-reports/2026/ai-retirement-essay-collection/
Acknowledgements
The SOA Research Institute Aging and Retirement Strategic Research Program thanks the Project Oversight Group (POG) for their careful review and judging of the submitted essays. Any views and ideas expressed in the essays are the authors’ alone may not reflect the POG’s views and ideas nor those of their employers, the authors’ employers, the Society of Actuaries, the Society of Actuaries Research Institute, nor Society of Actuaries members.
Gavin Benjamin, FSA, FCIA
John Cutler, Esq.
Ruth Schau, FSA, MAAA, FCA, EA
Andrea Sellars, FSA, MAAA
Matthew Smith, FSA, MAAA
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