两家保险公司正联手推出一种每位高科技房主可能很快都会需要的东西：针对机器人意外事故的家庭保险。一些人认为，人形机器人将是下一个重大技术趋势，英伟达的黄仁勋等行业人物预测，从工厂到家庭，它们将无处不在。但就像任何由人工智能驱动的事物一样，事情可能会严重出错，尤其是当机器人在家中四处走动执行任务时。
Two insurers are teaming up to launch what every high-tech homeowner may soon need: household insurance for robotic mishaps. Humanoid robots are tipped by some to be the next big technology trend, with industry figures like Nvidia's Jensen Huang predicting they'll be everywhere from factories to the home. But as with anything AI-driven, things can go horribly wrong, especially when automatons are roaming a home carrying out tasks.
它们甚至被贴上潜在的“实体形式僵尸网络”的标签。因此，现在或许正是推出英国首个家庭人形机器人保险保单的合适时机。专业保险公司Adrian Flux在其家庭保险系列中向英国客户提供这一保障，由总部位于得克萨斯州的东京海上日动火灾保险承保。这两家公司表示，该产品旨在抢占一个新兴市场，预计家用机器人将从2027年起出现在英国家庭中。
They have even been labelled as potential "botnets in physical form." The timing may be apt, then, for the UK's first domestic humanoid robot insurance policy. Specialist insurer Adrian Flux is offering to cover British customers as part of its home insurance range, underwritten by Texas-based Tokio Marine HCC. The two firms say the product is meant to get ahead of an emerging market, with domestic robots expected to appear in UK homes from 2027.
美国已经出现需求，机器人和人工智能公司已推出家用的人形机器人，早期型号售价约为2万美元。这些机器人不太像BBC喜剧《Ann Droid》中近乎人形的养老护理机器人，而更像是大致呈人形的机器。该保单涵盖机器人本身的损坏和被盗，以及它对房屋或财物造成的任何损坏。它还包括如果机器人伤害到某人或损坏其财产时的个人责任保险，以及在突然或不可预见的故障后对人形机器人进行紧急回收或安全停用——例如，也许是它试图砍掉你的手指或把你的猫放到炉子上。
Demand has already appeared in the US, where robotics and AI companies have launched humanoid robots for the home, with early models costing around $20,000. These are less like the near-human elderly care robot in the BBC comedy series Ann Droid, and more like vaguely human-shaped machines. The policy covers damage to, and theft of, the robot itself, plus any damage it causes to the home or belongings. It also includes personal liability if the android injures someone or damages their property, and emergency recovery or safe disablement of the humanoid after a sudden or unforeseen malfunction, such as - perhaps - attempting to chop off your fingers or put your cat on the stove.
Adrian Flux保险公司总经理格里·巴克说：“随着机器人开始进入人们的家中，我们希望明确如果出了问题由谁负责。”“就像我们在2016年推出的无人驾驶汽车保单一样，它将随着技术和风险的变化而更新。”在家庭之外，人形机器人在一系列应用领域的投资正在大量涌入。
“As robots start to arrive in people's homes, we wanted to provide clarity on who is responsible if something goes wrong," says Gerry Bucke, general manager for the insurance biz Adrian Flux. "Like the driverless car policy we launched in 2016, it will be updated as the technology and the risks evolve." Beyond the home, investment is pouring into humanoids across a range of applications.
中国汽车制造商奇瑞将它们用作展厅销售人员，而另一家公司已在汽车制造中展示了它们。埃隆·马斯克曾著名地预测，到2025年底，特斯拉工厂中将有数千台Optimus机器人，但他仍然相信其人形机器人将成为公司最大的产品。®
Chinese carmaker Chery using them as showroom sales staff, while another firm has demonstrated them in automotive manufacturing. Elon Musk famously predicted thousands of Optimus robots in Tesla factories by the end of 2025, but still believes its humanoid robot will be the company’s biggest product. ®