In the first episode of the podcast series, our Dispute Resolution experts Dr. Björn P. Ebert and Dr. Lukas Schultze-Moderow speak with Dr. Friedrich Weyland about the current trends and developments in artificial intelligence and arbitration, and their impact on legal advisers and courts. AI is rapidly transforming international arbitration. A recent global survey found that 92% of legal practitioners are now using at least one AI tool in their daily work – driven primarily by time savings, cost reduction, and improved accuracy. AI tools are already helping counsel streamline document review, enhance legal research, and manage complex proceedings more efficiently. As adoption accelerates, however, the focus is shifting from technological potential to governance, accountability, and risk management.
The discussion explores both opportunities and challenges. While AI promises greater efficiency and lower costs, concerns remain regarding hallucinations, inaccurate citations, bias, and overreliance on automated outputs. A particular risk discussed is what experts are calling "epistemic deference": the tendency to over-trust a confident AI output simply because it appears polished and well-reasoned – even when the underlying substance may be flawed. Human oversight therefore remains essential to safeguard professional judgment and procedural integrity.
The speakers also examine the emergence of AI-assisted adjudication and award prediction tools, which could significantly reshape dispute resolution. At the same time, questions surrounding transparency, disclosure obligations, and the enforceability of awards are becoming increasingly important. Looking ahead, companies and institutions should closely monitor the rise of autonomous AI agents, the growing threat of deepfakes and synthetic evidence, and potential equality-of-arms concerns resulting from unequal access to advanced AI technologies. Robust AI governance, clear disclosure standards, strong data protection measures, and meaningful human review will be critical to preserving trust, fairness, and enforceability in arbitration proceedings.
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