Tokio Marine launches AI robot insurance covering humanoids, damage and downtime

Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, the core non-life company of the Tokio Marine group, said in a news release on Oct 26 that it will start selling an AI Robot Insurance policy in November 2026. It is written for autonomous mobile robots running physical-AI software, and the insurer names wheeled robots, four-legged robots and humanoids as covered types.

Three covers in one policy

The policy pays for repair or replacement when a robot is damaged in a sudden accident such as a fall, collision or natural disaster; for the user's legal liability when a robot injures a person or damages property; and for business-continuity costs after a covered breakdown, including wages for substitute workers and the rental of a replacement robot. Losses caused directly or indirectly by cyber incidents are excluded. Underwriting terms and premiums are set individually after the insurer checks each use and operating environment, so no price list was published.

The insurer said robots working in shared spaces and outdoors face higher risks of falls, drops and collisions, that repairs to machines built from many parts can be expensive, and that a stopped robot can now interrupt a customer's operations. It cited the Japanese government's investment roadmap for 17 strategic fields, which puts the global AI-robot market at about JPY 60 trillion by 2040 and sets a goal of a share above 30%.

Why it matters

Insurance is one of the unglamorous conditions for robots to leave fenced cells. Downtime cover is the notable part: it prices the risk that a customer has already removed the people a robot replaced. The cyber exclusion is the open question, since connected robots run on cloud models and over-the-air updates. For context on Japan's push, see MEKAWIRE's Japan physical-AI explainer, which this month added KDDI's ELYZA Robotics plan for 1,000 robots in real sites by fiscal 2030.