Insurance for AI that moves through the physical world
542,000 industrial robots were installed globally in 2024 alone, the fourth straight year above 500,000 units. Robotics and autonomous systems carry product liability risk a pure-software AI policy was never built to cover.
Built for hardware-plus-AI risk.
What insurance do robotics and autonomous systems companies need?
Robotics and autonomous systems companies need product liability for physical harm or property damage caused by hardware, tech E&O for financial harm from the software or AI decision layer, general liability, cyber liability for connected hardware, and D&O. Alton Risk places these programs for robotics, drone and autonomous vehicle companies.
The risk moving from software into hardware
Robots and autonomous systems fail differently than software does, and insurers are re-underwriting around that.
Industrial robots installed globally in 2024, the fourth consecutive year above 500,000 units, with operational stock up 9% to 4.66 million units.
International Federation of Robotics, Sept 2025
Waymo robotaxis recalled in June 2026 after software failed to correctly recognize freeway construction zones, a reminder that physical-world failures carry different exposure than a software bug.
Waymo / NHTSA recall, Jun 2026
Sources: IFR, World Robotics 2025 Report · Fox News, Waymo robotaxi recall · Insurance Business Magazine, physical AI disruption to insurers.
A bindable quote in three steps
Built for hardware that operates in the physical world, not just in a data center.
Tell us what your hardware does and where it operates.
Select product liability and tech E&O limits.
Get a bindable quote before your next deployment.
Get covered before your next deployment
Coverage spanning hardware and software risk
Five lines addressing both the physical failure and the software decision-making behind it, with product liability sized separately to the hardware.
Product Liability
Physical harm or property damage caused by your hardware, the exposure a pure-software AI policy does not carry.
Tech E&O
Financial harm caused by the software or AI decision layer controlling your hardware.
General Liability
Third-party bodily injury or property damage claims arising from your operations.
Cyber Liability
Data breach and network security coverage for connected hardware.
D&O
Leadership coverage, typically required before closing a priced round.
Common questions from robotics and autonomous systems companies
Do robotics companies need both product liability and tech E&O?
Yes. Product liability covers physical harm from the hardware, and tech E&O covers financial harm from the software or AI decision layer.
Is a drone company's insurance different from a software AI company's?
Yes. Physical deployment introduces bodily injury and property damage exposure a pure-software company does not carry, and industry commentary describes physical AI as potentially more disruptive to insurance underwriting than software-only AI.
Can coverage handle both indoor and outdoor deployments?
Coverage can be structured for a range of operating environments based on where your systems deploy.
How do claims actually get investigated for an autonomous system?
Claims increasingly rely on sensor data, OEM logs, and software diagnostics rather than witness accounts alone, a real shift from how liability was traditionally assessed with a human operator.
What does physical AI insurance typically include?
A typical program combines product liability for the hardware, tech E&O for the software layer, general liability, cyber liability for connected devices, and D&O.
Who places robotics and autonomous systems insurance at Alton Risk?
Alton Risk is a commercial insurance brokerage founded in 2026 by former carrier-side underwriters. It places product liability and E&O coverage for robotics and autonomous systems companies with specialist markets.
Built by operators, not outsiders
Alton Risk Insurance Services is a commercial insurance brokerage for companies building the future. It was founded in 2026 by Sophia Zaller, and the carrier-side underwriting experience behind our placements is the reason we know what a market will and will not accept. Technology speeds up our work, and the judgment comes from people who have priced and placed these risks.
Also serving AI model builders and data center operators at insureaimodels.com and insuredatacenter.com.
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