The Zurich-based insurer it is buying Alphachat, a four-year-old Tallinn-based company with a messaging automation product that understands natural language, authenticates users, and provides personalized responses, it said in a statement on Thursday. Zurich didn't disclose financial details of the deal.

The insurer said it wants to use Alphachat's conversational artificial intelligence to try and meet increasing demand from customers for personalized products and services, 24/7. Alphachat  represents a considerable reinforcement of Zurich's AI capabilities.

The start-ups's CEO, Indrek Vainu, said Zurich will launch a hub for intelligent automation in Estonia in order to create AI-powered messaging automation solutions for its customers.