“If people opt out of the conversation, they won’t be part of it,” said Bridget McCormack, president and CEO of the American Arbitration Association® (AAA®). McCormack has been clear about the challenge and the opportunity AI presents. For her, the rise of AI in legal isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about access, fairness, and the future of dispute resolution.
AI is already reshaping industries from healthcare to finance, and the legal sector is no exception. In dispute resolution, the question isn’t whether AI has a role; it’s how that role is shaped and who gets to shape it.
That’s the driving force behind the 2025 Future Dispute Resolution Conference and Hackathon, taking place Oct. 9–10. Hosted by the AAA, this event moves beyond buzzwords and hype to ask the deeper questions: How can AI strengthen fairness in dispute resolution? Improve outcomes? Expand access to justice?
“I think of AI as electricity…”
Serena Lee, president and CEO of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution and CPR Dispute Resolution Services, is one of the event’s featured speakers and has seen firsthand how alternative dispute resolution (ADR) adapts to new challenges. “I think of AI as electricity. When we first harnessed it, no one imagined that 125 years later we’d be using it to power generative AI. It provides efficiencies and cost savings because it frees up human talent to do other things,” she said.
Designing With, Not For
This philosophy is core to the Future Dispute Resolution Conference. As McCormack noted, designing technologies “with, not just for” parties using ADR, as well as arbitrators and mediators, is essential.
The AAA is already applying this mindset with innovations like ClauseBuilder® AI (Beta), developed to simplify and improve the drafting of arbitration clauses, and the recently announced AI Arbitrator, which will use a structured legal prompt library and conversational AI to deliver clear, legally sound draft awards.
Steve Errick, the AAA’s chief development officer, reinforces this point. He emphasizes that the true value of the conference lies in bringing together advocates, arbitrators, clients, and peers to share insights that shape how AI is applied. For him, technology should act as a facilitator that expands fairness and access, not as a competitive advantage. Each session, he notes, demonstrates how quickly the legal community evolves in its use of AI—underscoring the importance of continuous collaboration.
The goal isn’t to replace human judgment, but to augment it—helping neutrals and parties focus on the issues that matter most.
Technology with Purpose
AI is powerful, but it’s not without risk. The challenge is ensuring it supports—not undermines—the principles of fairness, impartiality, and access in ADR.
Curiosity, Access, and Imagination
At the heart of the Future Dispute Resolution Conference and Hackathon is curiosity. It’s a rare space where mediators, legal professionals, technologists, and community advocates can ask “what if” and test real-world applications.
This year’s gathering will highlight diverse perspectives, fresh questions, and forward-looking experiments. Participants will consider how AI might accelerate certain mediation processes, introduce entirely new approaches, and enhance overall outcomes. The emphasis is not just on speed or novelty, but on learning together how AI can elevate dispute resolution’s fairness and effectiveness.
The conference also underscores the importance of broad participation. By bringing in voices from across the ADR and legal communities, the event ensures that new technologies are imagined and implemented collaboratively. The ultimate goal is to harness AI in ways that reduce conflict and help people return to their core purposes more quickly and fairly.