How Much Technology Can Mediation Afford?, Petros Zourdoumis

Overcoming the Mediation Paradox: Ideas, Challenges, Good practice | International Scientific Conference | Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius, 2023 November 21
Are we aware that some of the most widely used communication platforms used for online mediation (e.g., Zoom, Skype, etc.) were not actually designed to facilitate this dispute resolution process? On the contrary, mediators have adopted them in response to the growing demand to offer remote services, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this does not mean that applying specific mediation or communication techniques is required per se, but merely that we must ensure that the professional is comfortable with the platform and can use it to its full capacity. Recently, mediation has been increasingly reliant on artificial intelligence, which is largely distrusted due to its inherently limited ability to be empathetic, manage emotions and understand complex human relationships. An experiment carried out with an artificial intelligence system in which it was requested to resolve a dispute and failed to do so highlights that AI systems are not yet ready to handle mediation, but perhaps with the assistance of applications such as ADR4All we will quickly be able to offer something new to disputants.