Advanced Seminar in Law and Technology: Bargaining in the Shadow of the Algorithm

Date: February 28, 2025 (Friday)

Time: 10:45am – 11:45am

Venue: Room 824, 8/F Cheng Yu Tung Tower, The University of Hong Kong

Speaker: Anthony Niblett (Professor and Canada Research Chair in Law, Economics, & Innovation, University of Toronto Faculty of Law)

How will AI change the way parties resolve legal disputes? Predictive analytics uses machine learning techniques and data from previous disputes to assess the probability of plaintiff success. These algorithmic predictions have the potential to reshape how parties to a legal dispute assess risk and negotiate settlements. From the perspective of the parties, some of the benefits appear clear. The use of AI can lead to cost efficiencies, improved risk assessment, and increased settlement rates. If such tools are adopted by the judiciary, predictive analytics can help lead to better resource optimization, cutting down on case backlog and delay, as well as reducing frivolous litigation. While there are clear efficiencies for the civil legal process, the substantive impact on legal outcomes from judges using AI to help resolve civil disputes is underexplored. We empirically explore how settlement outcomes in civil disputes are impacted when parties bargain in the shadow of the algorithm.

Anthony Niblett researches artificial intelligence, innovation, contract law, competition policy, and judicial behaviour. He joined the Faculty of Law in 2011 and he teaches Contract Law, Torts, Competition Policy, Economic Analysis of Law, and Legal Methods. Professor Niblett is the Academic Advisor at the Future of Law Lab at the Faculty and an Affiliate Researcher with the Vector Institute for AI. In 2019, Professor Niblett gave a TEDx talk on machine learning and law. Professor Niblett holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard as well as degrees in law and commerce from the University of Melbourne. He was a Bigelow Fellow at the University of Chicago before moving to Canada. In addition to his academic career, Professor Niblett is a co-founder of Blue J, a start-up using AI to help tax and legal professionals.

Moderator: Benjamin Chen, Associate Professor & Director of the Law and Technology Centre, The University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law

To register, please go to https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_regform.aspx?guest=Y&UEID=98066.

For inquiries, please contact Ms. Grace Chan at mcgrace@hku.hk / 3917 4727.