HOUSTON, TX — The Verisk AI exclusion has moved from industry filing to renewal-cycle reality, and most design firms still cannot say whether it applies to them. Risk Specialty Group, a Houston-based insurance and risk management brokerage serving architects, engineers, and design professionals across six states, has published a plain-language answer to the question that firms are now asking their brokers: What is the Verisk AI exclusion, and is it already on the policy? The full guide is available at https://riskspecialtygroup.com/what-is-the-verisk-ai-exclusion-policy/
The exclusion traces to two standardized endorsement forms, CG 40 47 and CG 40 48, released by Verisk with a January 2026 edition date. According to the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, the forms give carriers ready-made language to exclude losses arising out of generative artificial intelligence, which Verisk defines broadly as any machine-based learning system trained on data and capable of creating content — text, images, audio, video, or code.
The forms themselves attach to commercial general liability policies, but the pressure on professional liability coverage is running in parallel. Berkley has introduced what trade coverage refers to as an absolute AI exclusion for D&O, E&O, and fiduciary liability policies, specifically naming ChatGPT, Bard, Midjourney, and DALL-E. Philadelphia Insurance and Hamilton Select have already excluded AI-related claims from certain E&O products, and AIG and Great American have filed for regulatory approval to do the same.
For the typical architecture or engineering firm, the operative question is timing. A policy written before 2026 generally contains no AI exclusion, meaning a claim involving AI-assisted work is handled as a standard professional negligence matter. That answer can change the day the policy renews.
Travis Landers, ARM, president and founder of Risk Specialty Group, has reviewed dozens of design firm renewals over the past year. According to his analysis, only a handful so far carry absolute AI exclusions — but adoption is accelerating with each renewal cycle, making it more important to read the actual endorsement schedule than carrier marketing materials.
The firm's guidance walks policyholders through the check itself: reviewing the declarations page and endorsement schedule for form numbers and generative-AI definitions, comparing renewal quotes against expiring terms rather than assuming continuity, and asking in writing whether a proposed renewal adds AI-related restrictions. Because exclusion adoption varies meaningfully among "A" rated carriers, the brokerage notes that firms facing a newly added exclusion may have placement alternatives — Risk Specialty Group works with more than 20 such carriers specializing in design professionals. Details on the firm's professional liability programs are available at https://riskspecialtygroup.com/professional-liability-insurance/
The AI question also intersects with technology and data exposures that sit outside E&O entirely. Firms weighing how AI tools affect their broader program can review cyber coverage considerations at https://riskspecialtygroup.com/cyber-liability-insurance/
Looking ahead, Risk Specialty Group expects AI exclusion language to keep spreading through the 2026 and 2027 renewal cycles as more carriers adopt the standardized forms or file their own versions. The firm's best-positioned, the brokerage notes, will be those that documented their use of AI and verified their policy language before renewal — not after a claim.
Design firms that want a full assessment of AI-related gaps across their program can request a comprehensive review at https://riskspecialtygroup.com/360-review/