This human-curated, AI-generated newsletter from the American Arbitration Association’s AAA-ICDR Institute and AAAiLab keeps you up on AI news over the past week that is relevant to alternative dispute resolution (ADR).
The newsletter returns on January 9, 2026.
AI in ADR and Legal Services
ABA AI Task Force report examines opportunities, challenges for legal profession
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association’s Task Force on Law and Artificial Intelligence released its final report, focusing on AI’s impact on the legal profession. The report addresses AI’s effects on the rule of law, courts, legal education, access to justice, governance, risk management, and ethical dilemmas. It provides insights and resources to help the legal community navigate these developments and lists AI-related programs and events for lawyers, judges, and the public.
Twenty Leading Arbitration Experts Put Jus AI to the Test: Here’s What They Found
Daily Jus
Alexandre Vagenheim
A group of 20 arbitration professionals evaluated Jus AI by posing complex legal research questions. The AI achieved an average score of 4.28 out of 5, with 80% of assessments rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent.’ Experts praised Jus AI’s transparent reasoning, coherent legal analysis, and reliable outputs, indicating its potential as a trustworthy tool for arbitration research.
Thinking with AI vs. Letting AI Think for You
Thomson Reuters Legal Blog
Legal professionals face a dilemma: relying entirely on AI can erode critical thinking skills, while strategic collaboration with AI can enhance analytical capabilities. Research indicates a negative correlation between AI usage and critical thinking, emphasizing the need for intentional AI integration to maintain professional judgment and efficiency.
Aderant and Harvey have formed a strategic partnership to integrate Aderant’s business-of-law solutions with Harvey’s AI-powered legal work platform. This collaboration aims to enhance legal professionals’ efficiency by combining Aderant’s comprehensive practice management tools with Harvey’s advanced AI capabilities, offering a unified solution that streamlines legal workflows and decision-making processes.
Clearbrief Launches Cite Check Report to Give Law Firm Partners an Audit Trail Against AI Hallucinations
LawSites
Bob Ambrogi
Clearbrief has introduced the Cite Check Report, a feature designed to provide law firm partners with a documented audit trail confirming that all citations in a legal document have been thoroughly verified. This tool aims to address the growing concern over AI-generated inaccuracies, known as ‘hallucinations,’ which have led to significant sanctions and reputational damage for legal professionals.
AI Might Not Be Coming for Lawyers’ Jobs Anytime Soon
MIT Technology Review
Michelle Kim
Despite AI’s growing capabilities, it is unlikely to replace lawyers in the near future. The legal profession requires nuanced understanding, ethical judgment, and complex interpersonal interactions that AI cannot replicate. While AI can assist with routine tasks, it cannot fully emulate the critical thinking and human touch essential in legal practice.
Generative AI and LLM Developments
“Slop” chosen as Merriam-Webster’s 2025 word of the year
CBS News
Merriam-Webster has selected “slop” as its 2025 Word of the Year, reflecting the surge in low-quality digital content produced by generative AI technologies. The term, which originated in the 1700s to describe soft mud, now denotes digital content of little value, such as absurd videos and fake news. This choice highlights the public’s growing awareness and concern over the proliferation of AI-generated misinformation.
ChatGPT 5.2 AI Outscores Gemini 3 Pro: Cuts Errors & Ships Working Code Faster
Geeky Gadgets
Julian Horsey
OpenAI’s ChatGPT 5.2 introduces significant advancements in AI performance, surpassing competitors like Gemini 3 Pro and Opus 4.5. Key improvements include a 30-40% reduction in errors, enhanced context understanding with processing up to 256 tokens, and multimodal capabilities for visual data analysis.
Protecting the well-being of our users
Anthropic
Anthropic’s Safeguards team ensures Claude responds empathetically to sensitive topics like suicide and self-harm, directing users to professional support when necessary. They’ve implemented system prompts and reinforcement learning to shape Claude’s behavior and introduced a suicide and self-harm classifier to identify conversations requiring human intervention.
From Vibe Coding to Faster Models: What’s New in Google’s Gemini Update
MSN / Euronews
Google’s Gemini update introduces significant advancements in AI, including improved coding capabilities and enhanced model performance. These developments aim to streamline the coding process and accelerate the execution of AI models, offering more efficient and effective solutions for developers and users alike.
Why the AI Race Hinges on Elite Talent
Goodwin
Lawrence Chu et al.
The scarcity of specialized AI expertise is intensifying global competition, compelling companies to invest heavily in acquiring top talent. This trend is reshaping innovation markets, prompting large tech firms to acquire startup teams, investors to revise governance structures, and businesses to rethink recruitment and retention strategies. The high costs and limited availability of skilled professionals are central to this evolving landscape.
AI Regulation and Policymaking
U.S. Rolls Out a Tech Force to Poach Elite AI Builders
MSN / Morning Overview
Dorian Maddox
The U.S. government is assembling a specialized team to attract top AI talent from leading tech companies. This initiative aims to bolster national AI capabilities by offering competitive incentives and fostering a collaborative environment. The strategy includes targeted outreach and strategic partnerships to entice skilled professionals, ensuring the U.S. remains at the forefront of AI innovation.
New York makes history with first US laws regulating AI actors
Dexerto
Daisy Phillipson
New York has enacted two groundbreaking laws to regulate the use of AI-generated performers in advertising and entertainment. The first mandates clear disclosure when AI-generated ‘synthetic performers’ replace human actors in commercials. The second law requires consent from a deceased person’s heirs or estate before their name, image, or likeness can be used for commercial purposes, addressing concerns over posthumous AI recreations.
EU AI Office launches whistleblower tool to report AI Act breaches
A&O Shearman
Laurie-Anne Ancenys, Dalila Korchane
The EU AI Office has introduced an anonymous whistleblower tool for reporting potential violations of the AI Act. This secure platform allows individuals, especially those with professional ties to AI model providers, to confidentially submit reports, upload supporting documents, and receive updates. While the tool ensures confidentiality, full whistleblower protections under the Whistleblower Directive will be effective from August 2, 2026.
AI News from Other Fields
What happens when the coding becomes the least interesting part of the work
Medium
Obie Fernandez
In software development, the most critical phase often occurs before any code is written, involving deep problem analysis and strategic planning. This phase requires senior engineers to make informed decisions about system design, potential risks, and reversibility. While coding agents can assist with the mechanical aspects of coding, they cannot replace the nuanced judgment and decision-making that experienced engineers provide, which remains essential for successful project outcomes.
General Medicine Launches AI That Connects Feeling Heard to Getting Care
Associated Press
General Medicine has introduced an AI system designed to bridge the gap between patients’ emotional experiences and their access to appropriate healthcare services. This technology aims to enhance patient-provider communication by accurately interpreting patients’ feelings, thereby facilitating more effective and personalized care.
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