Although the revised Product Liability Directive strengthens the legal framework for compensation, it may not be sufficient to address all cases of AI-related harm. In this context, compensation funds are increasingly being discussed as a complementary solution capable of providing effective redress while supporting innovation.
This session examines whether compensation funds could play a role in the future AI liability landscape and explores key questions surrounding their design: What damages should be covered? Which AI systems should fall within their scope? And who should finance them—the public sector, private industry, or a combination of both?
Ultimately, the discussion aims to assess whether compensation funds could help strike a more effective balance between innovation, liability and trust in AI systems.
Cláudia Lima Costa is a corporate and litigation lawyer and a researcher at the University of Porto, where her work focuses on AI regulation, civil liability, and compensation funds.
She is an expert member of CEN and ISO Technical Committee 223, contributing to the development of international standards on AI quality management, risk management, and conformity assessment.
She is currently involved in several interdisciplinary projects in the fields of healthcare, retail, law, and public administration at the AI and Computer Science Lab of the University of Porto and the AI Experience Lab, Lisbon.
In addition, she is a Guest Professor at Porto Business School, teaching courses on artificial intelligence and its impact on business.
She has been invited to speak and moderate at numerous national and international conferences and has contributed to a wide range of academic and professional training programmes. She is the author of several publications on artificial intelligence and its legal implications.