Associate Daniel Boon moderates panel on AI replacing human arbitrators at the Regional Arbitral Institutes Forum 2026

On 27 October 2026, Daniel Boon, a member of Stephenson Harwood LLP's International Arbitration team, moderated Session 3 of the Regional Arbitral Institutes Forum 2026, titled "AI in Arbitration – Issues and Prospects", held at the Asia International Arbitration Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

He was joined by Mr Ang Tze Siong (A&O Shearman, Singapore), Mr Rajendra Navaratnam (Azman, Davidson & Co, Malaysia), Ms Sapna Jhangiani KC (Blackstone Chambers) and Ms Shanti Mogan (Shearn Delamore & Co, Malaysia).

AI in Arbitration: Fairer Justice, or a Faster Route to Annulment?

The panel asked a provocative question: should parties prefer AI-led arbitrators to humans?

The following key topics were debated, aided by insightful comments from the audience:

1. Are AI tools able to fairly address conflicting human evidence?
2. Concerns surrounding the enforceability of AI-generated arbitral awards.
3. The role of arbitral institutions in regulating the use of AI in arbitrations, both by arbitrators and counsel.
4. How domestic laws are evolving to address the use of AI in local court proceedings and arbitrations.

A key takeaway was that, while AI use is prevalent, it is meant to be a supportive tool. Human judgement and accountability for final awards are non-negotiable, for now.

Why is this relevant?

The use of AI in arbitration will only grow in the coming years. In fact, the AAA-ICDR has already rolled out an AI-led arbitration tool for documents-only construction cases, where an AI tool drafts the award for a human arbitrator to then verify and issue.

For now, the EU's AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) remains the most comprehensive legislation on the use of AI but regulation in this space is also moving fast. India's Supreme Court issued draft regulations in June 2026 on the use of AI in court matters. This was followed shortly by the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China September 2026 issuance of the Opinions on Adjudicating AI-Related Dispute Cases in Accordance with Law.

Ultimately, while we are not yet in a world where AI tools will completely replace human arbitrators, it will be challenging to restrict the use of AI in arbitration. Parties are encouraged to think carefully about how AI is deployed throughout the arbitration process to preserve the integrity of the awards rendered.