1 2 3 4 Robots in the Wild 5 New liabilities As such, robotics may introduce new coverage and liability Robots will not only create new risks—they may also reduce old ones. issues in lines such as commercial general liability, product liability, Many of these devices will do jobs that are not only boring and repetitive workers’ compensation, and cyber-insurance. A report from Lloyd’s for humans, but also potentially dangerous and dirty—for example, lifting and the University of Surrey says, for example, that the risk profile for heavy items or navigating unsafe environments such as a building after employers’ liability and public liability could shift as liability is pushed an earthquake. Thus, insurers could see a drop in employee injury claims. back onto the robot product manufacturer. Though the pool of data for assessing risks associated with robots New risks, according to the researchers, include the potential for robots is small for now, the data that robots (along with internet of things in motion to cause damage to public or private property—for example, devices) will generate in years to come could also benefit insurance a delivery robot colliding with a privately-owned vehicle—and cyber- companies in the longer term. Insurers may be able to leverage risks related to the level of sensitive data robots will gather in homes this data to better understand and price risk in the workplace, and 44 and workplaces. Many traditional commercial insurance products perhaps even work with clients to reduce risks in lines such as are not yet tailored to these risks. workers’ compensation. Some insurance companies may find opportunities to underwrite specialist products for personal and commercial robots. The drone market may point the way. Pay-as-you-fly insurance for commercial and recreational drone pilots is available on hourly, monthly and annual plans from insurtechs and insurance carrier/startup partnerships, a model that 45,46 could be emulated in the robot-as-a-service space. 44 Technology Vision for Insurance 2020 | We, the Post-Digital People
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