AI in ADR
AI Boosts Legal Aid Productivity | Anthropic Launches Smaller, Cheaper Claude Model | The AFL-CIO's "Worker-Centered AI" Initiative | California Regulates AI Chatbots
This human-curated, AI-generated newsletter from the AAA-ICDR Institute and AAAiLab keeps you up on AI news over the past week that is relevant to alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
AI in ADR and Legal Services
2025 International Arbitration Lecture: The Enduring Role of the Human Arbitrator and the New Opportunity for Science [Video]
Akin
Mark Clarke, Klaus Reichert, et al.
“At the 2025 Akin Arbitration Lecture, delivered at Akin’s London office, Klaus Reichert SC, distinguished arbitrator and co-founder of Arbitration Sciences Ltd, explored the enduring role of the arbitrator’s human faculties—judgement, intuition and experience—and how emerging behavioural science is transforming our understanding of decision-making in arbitration.”
Striving For Mediocrity
viveksankaran.substack.com
Vivek Sankaran
Millions of Americans face legal crises without meaningful representation, as public defenders and legal aid are overwhelmed or absent. Critics argue AI tools aren’t as good as top lawyers, but for most people, the real comparison is AI versus no help at all. Even modest AI-powered legal assistance—while imperfect—could provide vital support to those otherwise left stranded, making basic legal understanding accessible and transforming outcomes for the underserved.
How AI Is Helping Legal Aid Serve 50% More Clients: Thomson Reuters’ AI for Justice Program One Year In [Podcast]
LawSites
Bob Ambrogi
Facing a massive gap in access to legal representation, legal aid groups in the U.S. are leveraging AI tools like Thomson Reuters’ CoCounsel to dramatically boost efficiency and reach more clients in urgent need. By streamlining casework and accelerating document preparation, these technologies help vulnerable individuals secure critical legal protections faster, though challenges remain in scaling adoption and overcoming skepticism within the sector.
‘Common humanity’ integral to justice as AI creeps in
Daily Mail / Australian Associated Press
Artificial intelligence offers promising tools to improve efficiency and accessibility in the legal system, such as summarizing information and supporting risk assessments. However, judges and legal experts caution that AI cannot replace the human understanding and empathy essential to fair decision-making, nor is it immune to replicating existing biases. While AI may help reduce costs and streamline processes, it must complement, not supplant, human judgment.
What a GC Wants to Hear From His Outside Law Firms on AI [Podcast]
On The Merits (Bloomberg Law)
David Schultz
Corporate legal leaders are increasingly expecting law firms to go beyond cost savings and clearly articulate how AI is transforming their work processes. Hesitancy to adopt new technologies is seen as risky, with clients urging firms to make proactive decisions about AI integration rather than waiting for industry consensus, signaling a shift in client-firm dynamics and competitive expectations in the legal sector.
Generative AI and LLM Developments
Anthropic launches Claude Haiku 4.5, a smaller, cheaper AI model
CNBC
Ashley Capoot
Anthropic has introduced Claude Haiku 4.5, a compact and affordable AI model that delivers fast performance and strong coding abilities, rivaling larger, more expensive models. Designed for both free and paid users, it enables high-volume, efficient tasks and can work alongside Anthropic’s more advanced models for complex problem-solving. This launch underscores Anthropic’s rapid innovation as it competes with industry leaders like OpenAI and Google.
Nvidia sells tiny new computer that puts big AI on your desktop
Ars Technica
Benj Edwards
Nvidia is launching the DGX Spark, a compact $4,000 desktop computer designed for AI development, offering one petaflop of power and 128GB of unified memory—enabling local work with large AI models that usually require cloud resources. Targeted at developers needing more capability than standard PCs, the Spark supports advanced language and image models, but its appeal may be challenged by the high upfront cost compared to cloud-based alternatives.
Major federation of unions calls for ‘worker-centered AI’ future
The Verge
Elissa Welle
The AFL-CIO, representing nearly 15 million workers across diverse sectors, is launching a major initiative to ensure AI adoption prioritizes worker rights. Its agenda calls for stronger labor protections, transparency, retraining, and direct worker involvement in AI development and oversight. The federation is also pushing for state and federal regulations, despite political resistance, and is increasing political spending to counter industry influence and safeguard workers as AI transforms the workplace.
Researchers Find It’s Shockingly Easy to Cause AI to Lose Its Mind by Posting Poisoned Documents Online
Futurism
Victor Tangermann
Researchers have discovered that introducing a small number of malicious documents into publicly available data can create hidden vulnerabilities in AI models, regardless of their size. These “backdoors” allow attackers to manipulate AI outputs with specific trigger phrases, raising serious security concerns as AI adoption grows. The findings highlight that larger datasets actually make such attacks easier, emphasizing the urgent need for better safeguards during AI training.
The Gen AI Playbook for Organizations
Harvard Business Review
Bharat N. Anand, Andy Wu
Business leaders often fixate on generative AI’s intelligence and pace of advancement, but the critical issue is how to leverage existing capabilities for practical business gains. Rather than waiting for perfection or benchmarking competitors, organizations should focus on integrating gen AI tools to address current needs and strategically differentiate themselves, making the most of today’s technology to build a sustainable competitive edge.
AI Regulation and Policymaking
California to regulate AI chatbots after bill by San Diego legislator
KSWB / Yahoo News
Chris Ponce
California has enacted a new law requiring AI chatbot providers to implement safeguards for minors, such as blocking sexual content, notifying users of AI-generated conversations, and warning that chatbots may not be suitable for children. Prompted by tragic incidents involving teens and chatbot interactions, the law aims to balance technological innovation with child safety, taking effect in 2026 as part of broader efforts to regulate online risks for young users.
The American AI stack and the world [Online Event]
Brookings
The U.S. is launching a comprehensive AI strategy focused on boosting innovation, expanding technical infrastructure, and asserting global leadership, including promoting American AI technologies abroad. At the same time, other nations are prioritizing their own independent AI capabilities, raising questions about the practicality of national autonomy in a globally interconnected digital landscape. “On October 21, the Forum for Cooperation on AI at Brookings will host a discussion about the implications for the U.S. AI Action Plan, other countries’ efforts to develop sovereign AI, and opportunities for international cooperation.”
AI: Five Questions Every Public Administrator Must Ask
Governing
Alan R. Shark
As governments increasingly integrate AI into public services, administrators must focus on solving real problems rather than adopting technology for its own sake. Success depends on high-quality data, clear accountability, ongoing risk management, workforce readiness, and ethical oversight. By prioritizing transparency, citizen needs, and organizational capacity, leaders can harness AI’s potential while safeguarding public trust and minimizing harm.
Concerns about AI-written police reports spur states to regulate the emerging practice
NewsBreak
Andrew Guthrie Ferguson
Police departments are increasingly using AI to draft reports from body camera transcripts, streamlining paperwork but raising concerns about accuracy, bias, and legal transparency. New laws in California and Utah now require disclosure and audit trails for AI-generated police reports, but gaps remain as some agencies bypass safeguards. The rapid adoption of this technology in the criminal justice system highlights the urgent need for broader regulation, oversight, and critical legal scrutiny.
Ground-breaking use of AI saves taxpayers’ money and delivers greater government efficiency
GOV.UK
The UK government’s AI tool ‘Consult’ dramatically accelerated analysis of public consultation responses, grouping over 50,000 submissions in hours with accuracy matching or surpassing human reviewers. This innovation frees policy experts from time-consuming administrative work, enabling faster action and significant cost savings. The technology is now being rolled out across various government consultations, aiming to streamline decision-making and improve public services through AI-driven efficiencies.
Exeter’s AI project could rewrite how governments use science
DevonLive / Yahoo News
Lewis Clarke
A major UK initiative is harnessing artificial intelligence to help governments rapidly access and synthesize scientific research for policymaking on urgent global issues like climate change and public safety. By creating continuously updated evidence summaries and user-friendly tools, the project aims to bridge the gap between complex research and real-world decisions, enabling policymakers to act on the most current and relevant scientific insights.
AI News from Other Fields
From barks to words: Researchers aim to translate dog sounds with AI
Detroit News / Dallas Morning News
Miriam Fauzia
Researchers are leveraging artificial intelligence to decode and translate animal vocalizations, aiming to bridge communication between humans and pets. By cataloging and analyzing extensive audio and video data, they are uncovering patterns in dog and cat sounds that may correspond to specific meanings or health indicators. These efforts could eventually enable real-time translation tools for pet owners and provide early warnings about animal well-being, signaling a new era in human-animal interaction.
Edinburgh social workers using AI to help write up casework reports
The Herald (Scotland)
Joseph Sullivan
Edinburgh’s council has trialed AI tools like Magic Notes and Microsoft Copilot to help social workers with note-taking, report writing, and assessments, resulting in significant time and cost savings. While staff welcome these efficiencies, leaders emphasize the need for careful, ethical AI adoption. The council is developing a generative AI policy, forming an ethics board, and integrating AI into its broader digital modernization strategy aimed at better services and community engagement.
You’ll soon be able to shop Walmart from ChatGPT
TechCrunch
Sarah Perez
Walmart is teaming up with OpenAI to let customers shop directly through ChatGPT, enabling personalized product recommendations, instant checkout, and meal planning via AI. This move, part of a broader strategy that includes Walmart’s own AI assistant, Sparky, signals a shift toward more interactive, tailored online shopping. The partnership aims to make e-commerce more intuitive and proactive by leveraging AI for both consumer-facing tools and internal business operations.
Lloyds to put chief executive and all top bosses through six-month AI course
The Argus
Lloyds Banking Group is investing heavily in generative AI by enrolling its top executives and hundreds of senior managers in a specialized training program developed with Cambridge experts. The bank is positioning Bristol as its AI hub, expanding its tech workforce, and integrating AI into customer service and business operations, while reducing physical branches as online banking grows. Leadership training emphasizes practical applications and ethical innovation with AI.
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