This session brings together leading scholars to explore how tort and insurance law should evolve as artificial intelligence becomes embedded in everyday life. The panel will focus on how familiar doctrines of product liability, negligence, and agency can be applied to systems that learn, adapt, and act with limited human control. Using the "American Law Institute’s Principles of the Law, Civil Liability for Artificial Intelligence" as a starting point, the panel will examine how the law should classify AI systems—as products, professional services, or agents—and how those choices shape the standards of care that govern their design and deployment. Discussion will turn to where responsibility should rest when AI systems cause harm, how open-source software and complex supply chains complicate accountability, and how insurers and industry standards can help manage emerging risks. The panel will also address the growing debate over whether states or the federal government should regulate AI liability and whether AI can even be governed under a single legal framework in the first place.
The section business meeting will be held on Friday, January 9th, from 8am-9:15am at the Ruby Slipper Cafe (200 Magazine St. New Orleans, LA 70130), a short walking distance from the hotel. This will double as both an opportunity to socialize and to discuss section issues. All section members are welcome to join!