New product liability in the Age of AI: Modernisation under a Conservative Veil

Godefroy de Boiscuillé
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Godefroy de Boiscuillé: Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, GREDEG, France

No 2026-12, GREDEG Working Papers from Groupe de REcherche en Droit, Economie, Gestion (GREDEG CNRS), Université Côte d'Azur, France

Abstract: This article examines the reform of the European Product Liability Directive in the age of AI. The reform succeeds in bringing AI within the reach of product liability law. However, the proposed regime remains only partially adapted to the evidentiary and economic realities of the digital age. The modernisation effort is significant but ultimately incomplete. What emerges is not a new liability regime but an updated version of an old one, broader in scope yet still limited in its ability to ensure effective compensation for victims. The reform thus reflects a form of conservative modernisation: innovative, but restrained in spirit. It extends the reach of product liability to the digital environment while preserving the traditional architecture of the regime. By examining this ambivalence, the article aims to show both the strength and the fragility of the new framework.

Keywords: product liability; artificial intelligence; AI; defective products; European Union law; digital economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: K13 K15 K24 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 17 pages
Date: 2026-04
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