On May 14, 2025, Covington’s Fourth Annual Robotics Forum gathered experts from diverse practice areas to discuss the shifting legal and regulatory landscape facing robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and connected devices. The 90-minute forum involved eight Covington attorneys providing a global perspective on anticipated risks and opportunities, culminating with an Industry Spotlight featuring Casey Campbell from Figure AI, who shared insights on autonomy and integration challenges in the robotics sector.
The discussions began with the regulatory patchwork governing Artificial Intelligence and robotics in the workplace. In the U.S., despite the absence of federal statutes specific to robotics and Artificial Intelligence employment uses, employers must comply with broader federal laws such as Title VII and FCRA. Meanwhile, local provisions like New York City’s Local Law 144 explicitly regulate automated employment decision tools. The European Union presents its own complex web of EU-wide and member state-specific requirements. Covington attorneys advised companies to mitigate vendor and tool bias, maintain robust human oversight, and regularly update compliance and training protocols to address ongoing changes and reduce potential legal risks.
Forum participants also examined product safety and liability as active frontiers, highlighting that both robotics device manufacturers and software developers may face liability claims. U.S. agencies like CPSC and NHTSA have increased monitoring and may produce new guidelines or reports. Recommended strategies include planning contractual defenses, monitoring enforcement trends, and staying proactive on regulatory reporting duties. Sector-specific panels focused on robots in life sciences—where U.S. FDA and EU processes differ and new framework guidance is emerging—and autonomous vehicles, which face a complex array of U.S. federal, state, and local regulation. Panelists pointed to new Commerce Department rules restricting AV-related supply chains from certain countries as an example of rising geopolitical scrutiny.
On supply chain and trade controls, attorneys discussed the U.S. government’s increasing upstream and downstream restrictions aimed at safeguarding national security and policy interests, citing the latest Commerce guidance on Artificial Intelligence chip export controls. Comparatively, the EU is still defining its approach but already signals greater restrictions in the pipeline and an intent to reduce reliance on countries like China. For compliance, companies were urged to conduct rigorous due diligence on parties and end-uses, maintain secure data handling procedures, and monitor both U.S. and EU regulatory updates closely.
Overall, the forum underscored the rapid evolution and cross-border complexity of legal issues surrounding robotics and Artificial Intelligence systems. Companies were encouraged to closely track guidance from regulators, participate in industry dialogue, and adapt internal policies proactively. Ongoing Covington publications and toolkits were highlighted as resources for navigating these dynamic challenges.
