Hi CM members,
The CM division, jointly with the International Association for Conflict Management (IACM), is excited to announce an upcoming talk by Dr. Remi Smolinski. Please refer to the details below and register if you would like to attend. We hope to see you there!
Session Title: Can AI Assess Negotiation Performance Better Than Humans? A Research Report
Session Discussant: Remi Smolinski
Moderator: Teodora Tomova Shakur
Length: 45 minutes
Date: March 31
Session at Local Times:
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US Pacific
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8:00 AM
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US Eastern
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11:00 AM
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Amsterdam
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5 P.M.
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Singapore
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11:00 PM
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Melbourne
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2 A.M. *
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*Next day
Abstract:
Our study examined whether AI can assess negotiation performance in ways that align with, and potentially complement, expert human judgment. Using 44 negotiations from the last edition of The Negotiation Challenge https://students.thenegotiationchallenge.org/, we compared evaluations produced by human judges and advanced AI models across a broad set of negotiation competencies. Rather than asking only whether their scores match, we investigated where the two forms of assessment converge, where they diverge, and what those differences reveal about the nature of negotiation expertise. In particular, our study distinguishes between competencies that are readily identifiable in transcripts and those that depend more heavily on contextual, relational, and tacit cues. We also consider how different assessment approaches relate to broader indicators of negotiation success. The findings point to a more differentiated view of AI's role in negotiation education and practice, suggesting that the most promising path may lie not in replacing human evaluators, but in combining human and AI strengths in a hybrid assessment model.
Bio:
Remi Smolinski is a negotiation scholar and professor with extensive experience advancing both empirical and practice-oriented negotiation research. As Academic Director of the Center for International Negotiation at HHL and the founder of The Negotiation Challenge, a major global negotiation competition, he has long focused on negotiation performance: how negotiators succeed in various negotiation contexts and what factors distinguish high-performing negotiators in both individual and team settings. His work draws on interdisciplinary insights to develop models that link observable behavioral patterns with superior negotiation outcomes and competencies.
Dr. Smolinski has been a leading voice on innovation in negotiation, especially in the context of artificial intelligence (AI). His research areas include work on AI-enhanced negotiation training and responsible integration of AI into negotiation theory and practice.
Dr. Smolinski's research also explores the intersection of leadership and negotiation, investigating how negotiation competence shapes effective leadership behavior across organizational and strategic contexts. This includes both theoretical foundations and practical assessment of negotiation as a leadership capability, grounded in decades of empirical work and global negotiation competitions. As the current editor of the journal, Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, he is finding new and innovative ways to bring scholarly research to a more public audience. Through this blended lens of performance research, innovation, and leadership integration, Dr. Smolinski's scholarship connects rigorous negotiation science with tangible implications for educators, practitioners, and multidisciplinary audiences.
Best,
Thea Tomova Shakur
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Teodora Tomova Shakur
Assistant Professor
Texas Christian University
Fort Worth TX
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