Mandatory insurance against civil liability of medical robots operating with AI technologies in the United Arab Emirates
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Received November 8, 2025;Accepted February 25, 2026;Published March 10, 2026
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Author(s)Zaid Muhmoud AgailehLink to ORCID Index: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9194-7659
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DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ins.17(1).2026.02
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Article InfoVolume 17 2026, Issue #1, pp. 17-35
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Type of the article: Research Article
Abstract
The integration of AI-enabled medical robots into the medical field has increased the potential risks to which patients may be exposed. To protect patients’ rights, this study aims to explore and analyze the need for mandatory insurance against civil liability of medical robots operating with AI technologies in the United Arab Emirates. Such insurance is intended to ensure adequate compensation, reinforce legal protection, and uphold confidence in medical practice, while also contributing to societal stability and supporting the growth of the insurance sector. The study employed a combination of descriptive and analytical methods. It concludes that smart medical robots are neither inanimate objects nor irrational beings. It recommends legislative regulations granting them digital legal personality under specific controls, recognizing their independent financial status, and enabling them to bear civil liability for actions causing harm. The study showed an upward trend in the number of insurance companies providing liability coverage for damages caused by AI-operated medical robots, increasing from two in 2020 to ten in 2025, and expected to rise further if full legal personality is granted. The research findings suggest amending the UAE Civil Transactions Code and the Medical Liability Law to codify civil liability provisions for autonomous smart medical robots and to mandate liability insurance. Furthermore, as insurers’ obligations depend on establishing the insured’s liability, UAE law should grant the injured party a direct right of action against the insurer.
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JEL Classification (Paper profile tab)G22, K13, I13
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References64
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Tables1
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Figures0
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- Table 1. Number of insurance companies in the UAE providing coverage for civil liability arising from errors caused by smart medical robots
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Conceptualization
Zaid Muhmoud Agaileh
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Data curation
Zaid Muhmoud Agaileh
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Formal Analysis
Zaid Muhmoud Agaileh
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Funding acquisition
Zaid Muhmoud Agaileh
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Investigation
Zaid Muhmoud Agaileh
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Methodology
Zaid Muhmoud Agaileh
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Project administration
Zaid Muhmoud Agaileh
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Resources
Zaid Muhmoud Agaileh
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Software
Zaid Muhmoud Agaileh
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Supervision
Zaid Muhmoud Agaileh
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Validation
Zaid Muhmoud Agaileh
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Visualization
Zaid Muhmoud Agaileh
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Writing – original draft
Zaid Muhmoud Agaileh
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Writing – review & editing
Zaid Muhmoud Agaileh
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Conceptualization
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Service quality, customers’ satisfaction, and profitability: an empirical study of Saudi Arabian insurance sector
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Ruslana Pikus
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Nataliia Prykaziuk
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Mariia Balytska
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/imfi.15(4).2018.18
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Innovation risk management in financial institutions
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Svitlana Naumenkova
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