Why good friction matters in international arbitration in the age of AI

Development summary

Bilge Kagan Cevik and Pelin Baysal’s article in Arbitration International addresses the growing use of artificial intelligence in international arbitration through the idea of “good friction”. The authors argue that AI can reduce unnecessary cognitive burdens, but may also weaken the productive mental effort that supports counsel’s advocacy and arbitrators’ independent, critical legal reasoning. The article therefore contends that AI should be deployed so as to remove bad friction while preserving the effortful processes that turn information into judgement.