Max Vilenchik is a Corporate Vice President of Model Validation and AI Governance at New York Life. New York Life is the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States. Max validates the company’s AI and data science models. His work covers underwriting models, generative AI, and automated claims processing. He brings deep expertise in statistics and data analytics. Max Vilenchik speaks at the 2026 InsurTech Spring Conference on the panel “Human + AI Underwriting,” alongside Scott Hawkins, Frank Chechel, and Lu Ma.
At New York Life, Max validates both generative AI and traditional underwriting models. He works on free-text and fluid triaging underwriting models. He also validates generative AI models for automated claims letters and chatbots. He designs monitoring plans to keep those models robust over time.
Before New York Life, Max spent eight years at American Express. He served as Director of Data Science for model validation. He led model validation across technology, servicing, and other business units. He also established guidelines for detecting bias in structured and unstructured data.
Max has a strong background in insurance analytics. He was a Senior Predictive Modeler at Plymouth Rock Assurance. There he built fraud detection, loss severity, and customer lifetime value models. He used techniques including social network analysis and text mining.
Max earned a master’s degree in Statistics from Northwestern University. He also holds a master’s in Applied Mathematics from DePaul University. He earned a bachelor’s in Computer Science from the University of Illinois.
