Insurance law is more integrated in our daily lives than many people realise. Home and content insurance, travel insurance as well as motor vehicle liability insurance, which every owner of a car is obliged to purchase, are just some of the insurance products that are commonly purchased by consumers. Insurance is not only for consumers but its backing also enables companies to take risks and hence, make innovations and pursue their business. For example, operating a trainline or an airline company encompasses a number of risks against which companies have to be insured so that if a risk occurs, the financial implications of it are met by the insurers, and the businesses can survive. Considering the number of transactions entered into by consumers and businesses every day, the availability of efficient insurance coverage is crucial. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being incorporated in the lives of consumers and companies. While insurance is a contractual relationship the principles of which have been established and continuously developed over centuries, modern AI has the potential of revolutionising the traditional business model of insurance. A close look into the involvement of AI in the formation of insurance contracts as well as the contract performing stages will offer insights into some novel developments in this area of law as well as the challenges they present with regard to legal as well as ethical issues.

For the purposes of developing a research project and a programme for a Workshop a visit was made by Professor Armbruester to Dr Ozlem Gurses from King’s College London on 19-20 June 2019. A second visit took place on 1-2 August 2019 at Freie Universität. Both visits have resulted in the shaping of the program for two Joint Workshops with a number of invited experts on the topic. These workshops are planned for April 2020 in Berlin and June 2020 in London. They shall be open for academics and senior students who take an interest in the matter.