Unlocking Arbitration Knowledge with AAAi Chat Book
By Caitlin Saint-Jean
The AAA® is transforming access to arbitration knowledge with its new AI-powered resource: AAAi Chat Book Case Prep and Presentation. Developed to support self-represented parties, new advocates and experienced legal professionals, this innovative tool combines AAA’s trusted content with cutting-edge technology to simplify arbitration research. In this interview, AAA leaders—Director of Publications and Law School Alliances Elizabeth Bain, Vice President of Marketing Michael Clark, President and CEO Bridget McCormack—and Chief Operating Officer at EdTek Mike Gregory share insights on the tool's development, its unique value and how it is enhancing access to justice.
Q: What motivated the AAA-ICDR to develop an AI-powered handbook for arbitration case preparation?
Elizabeth Bain (Director of Publications and Law School Alliances): After consulting with case administrators and managers, we identified the opportunity to provide additional educational services to new advocates and self-represented parties. To address this, we created AAAi Chat Book from the foundational arbitration handbook, "Case Preparation and Presentation: A Guide for Arbitration Advocates and Arbitrators" by Jay E. Grenig & Rocco M. Scanza, as a Q&A resource to support anyone with a case before the AAA.
Mike Gregory (EdTek Chief Operating Officer): I believe the AAA®, like many other entities, including publishers, has a wealth of valuable content that is under-utilized, collecting the proverbial "dust on a shelf"—yet they remain relevant and necessary. The challenge is that people often struggle to find the best way to utilize this content, as searching for specific information requires effort. This initiative aims to provide accurate information based on user queries in the most efficient way possible. Instead of spending valuable time searching for content, users can receive quick responses and focus on applying the information immediately.
Bridget McCormack (President and CEO): AAAi Chat Book Case Prep and Presentation is a breakthrough in making arbitration more efficient, accessible and fair. By harnessing AI, we deliver tailored insights, procedural guidance and best practices—helping parties, counsel, and arbitrators navigate the arbitration process with greater confidence and ease. This initiative underscores our commitment to innovation, allowing arbitration to remain transparent, user-friendly and adaptable to the evolving needs of the global legal and business communities.
Q: Can you explain what AAAi Chat Book Case Prep and Presentation is and how it benefits users?
Elizabeth Bain: The AAAi Chat Book provides accurate, reliable guidance, making it a key step in improving accessibility and understanding of arbitration. Users can ask questions such as, "What is the difference between litigation and arbitration?" and receive clear, concise answers, along with references to specific sections of the book. The chat book outlines arbitration fundamentals and integrates them with the AAA's rules to guide self-represented parties, new advocates and arbitrators unfamiliar with the process.
Mike Gregory: The AAAi Chat Book provides users an efficient way to navigate the AAA's published content. Instead of manually searching through a table of contents or index, users can type their questions, and the AI will quickly analyze the AAA material and deliver a relevant answer. This tool streamlines access to information, making finding what you need faster and more convenient.
Q: How does AAAi Chat Book Case Prep and Presentation position itself as an essential tool for legal professionals in arbitration?
Michael Clark (Vice President, Marketing): The AAAi Chat Book is a game-changer for arbitration. It combines the trusted content of our comprehensive handbook and the AAA's rules with cutting-edge AI technology. Legal professionals can now access complete rules and guidance while engaging in dynamic Q&A with AI to address specific arbitration case scenarios. This personalized support, paired with seamless access to relevant information, makes the chat book an indispensable resource for anyone involved in AAA arbitration.
Bridget McCormack: The AAAi Chat Book revolutionizes arbitration by eliminating the inefficiencies of manual research and providing instant, relevant insights. Legal professionals can now quickly access case strategies, best practices and procedural guidance—freeing them to focus on high-value advocacy rather than searching for information. Whether for attorneys, arbitrators or self-represented parties, this tool enhances the quality and efficiency of arbitration practice. Our goal is simple: empower users with seamless access to the information they need to engage in arbitration with confidence and precision.
Q: How does the AAAi Chat Book align with AAA's broader mission and objectives?
Elizabeth Bain: As a nonprofit, we aim to make the process seamless. Offering free tools like the AAAi Chat Book allows all parties to have access, making the process easier to understand.
Michael Clark: AAAi Chat Book is a key component of the AAA-ICDR's vision to democratize access to justice through AI. By providing free, user-friendly tools like the chat book, we empower individuals, businesses, students and legal professionals to navigate dispute resolution processes confidently. This aligns with our mission to make justice more accessible, efficient and equitable for all.
Bridget McCormack: As a free resource, the AAAi Chat Book advances access to justice by democratizing information and making alternative dispute resolution more navigable for all. With AI-powered, on-demand guidance, users can approach arbitration with clarity and confidence. This initiative directly supports the AAA's mission to deliver fair, efficient and effective dispute resolution services, reinforcing our ongoing investment in cutting-edge technology that enhances user experience and promotes informed decision-making.
Q: What makes EdTek’s ChatBLDR technology unique compared to traditional AI models like ChatGPT?
Mike Gregory: Unlike many AI products that rely on large language models and vast open-source data, our approach is more focused and precise. We use only the AAA's publications—the handbook and the rules—to provide responses to user queries that are grounded in trusted, curated content. This targeted approach significantly reduces the risk of inaccuracies—often called "hallucinations"—arising when AI models draw from broad, unfiltered data sources.
By restricting the system to verified material from the AAA, we enhance accuracy and relevance. While no system is entirely immune to errors, our model isn't fabricating information; it generates responses based solely on the AAA content. This curated, smaller dataset allows the system to deliver more consistent, reliable results compared to large, general-purpose AI models.
Q: How does the AAAi Chat Book differentiate itself from existing tools in the market?
Elizabeth Bain: It feels like we're breaking new ground, which is exciting and intimidating. When we shared this at an American Association of Law Schools conference, the reactions were almost disbelief. People were like, "Wait, are you serious? This is amazing!" Hearing that kind of enthusiasm from experts who teach and work in it daily was incredibly encouraging.
Michael Clark: The AAAi Chat Book is built on a foundation that no other AI tool can match. It's nearly a century of AAA experience in alternative dispute resolution, giving it unparalleled insight into the nuances of arbitration. This means you're not just getting generic legal information, you're getting AAA expertise delivered through an intuitive, AI-powered interface.
Mike Gregory: The answers the AAAi Chat Book gives are not only driven by trusted content, but are often times a synthesis of relevant content from different parts of the covered publications. The original sources from which the answer is taken are featured, sorted by relevance and highlighted, allowing the user to dig deeper into their issue.
Q: How user-friendly is the chat book for individuals with little to no experience in arbitration?
Elizabeth Bain: We conducted beta testing and received valuable feedback. If you're focusing strictly on case preparation, I believe it's a useful tool. However, if you try to push it beyond its intended scope, it may not deliver the desired results, as it's designed specifically for case preparation and presentation in arbitrations.
Mike Gregory: Our technology is simple and intuitive. You enter a query, get a response and can easily access the source material if you need to dig deeper. The chat interface is user-friendly, allowing anyone to ask questions in plain language—no legal or technical knowledge is needed. This makes it ideal for self-represented parties or those unfamiliar with arbitration, as they can interact conversationally with the chat book.
Q: How do you see this tool supporting new AAA advocates, law students and self-represented parties?
Elizabeth Bain: I see it as a handy quick-reference tool that someone can keep open while working on a case—whether they're on a call or need clarity on something. It's a helpful resource to consult as needed, but I wouldn't expect anyone to rely on it all day or use it for continuous questioning.
Q: How do you foresee AI-powered tools like this chat book transforming arbitration and dispute resolution?
Elizabeth Bain: Hopefully, this will help to increase visibility. I'm not aware of anything similar available for courts or litigation. By offering these free resources, we hope more people will consider choosing the AAA for arbitration and mediation. I believe we're moving in the right direction.
Michael Clark: The AAA envisions AI-powered tools like the AAAi Chat Book as transformative for arbitration and dispute resolution. By leveraging thought leadership initiatives, publications and speaking engagements, we aim to demonstrate the tool's potential to streamline processes and enhance efficiency. Our goal is to inspire legal professionals to adopt this innovative solution and advance the field through its integration.
Mike Gregory: This tool's greatest value is its ability to open access to arbitration knowledge for a broader audience—especially those unfamiliar with the process. Experienced arbitrators can use it for quick, technical answers, but it's even more impactful for people facing arbitration for the first time. By offering it freely, without paywalls or subscriptions, the AAA is breaking down barriers to information. This promotes access to justice and helps demystify arbitration, allowing more people to confidently navigate the process.
Bridget McCormack: AI-powered tools like the AAAi Chat Book are transforming arbitration, bringing real-time guidance, streamlining processes and enhancing decision-making. By simplifying complex procedures, delivering data-driven insights and automating routine tasks, these innovations allow arbitrators to focus on what matters most—resolving disputes efficiently and fairly. Thoughtfully integrated AI solutions like this will drive arbitration toward greater transparency, accessibility and impact.
Q: What feedback have you received so far from early users of the AAAi Chat Book?
Elizabeth Bain: This feedback actually came from my former case manager, who shared, "I think it's fantastic. While the chat book is geared toward attorneys, professors and students, it provides detailed explanations that anyone can follow." From her perspective—someone who works regularly with pro se parties, new attorneys and others—she finds it incredibly helpful. She particularly appreciated how it works well overall and boosted confidence by providing a source for its answers. That was a recurring theme: people were impressed that it showed exactly where in the book to find the information, making it feel more credible than just a bot answering.
Q: The press release mentions this is the first of several AI chat books. Can you share insights on future releases?
Elizabeth Bain: Our next focus will be on labor and employment, as this division tends to have the highest number of self-represented parties. We'll apply the same approach to that book, creating resources designed to better assist self-represented individuals.
Mike Gregory: The next AAAi Chat Book will focus on labor and employment issues. We'll build these resources book by book, making it easy to find the right publication for specific queries. The AAA can choose to integrate all books into a single chatbot or keep them separate. There are no significant limitations on the amount of content we can include, allowing flexibility in scaling.
Q: What advice would you give to someone using the AAAi Chat Book for the first time?
Elizabeth Bain: I'd suggest not hesitating to be more specific when using it—the system is intelligent enough to understand what you're saying. Hopefully, you'll gain some valuable insights along the way!
Michael Clark: To truly unlock the power of the AAAi Chat Book, I would encourage legal professionals to approach it with a spirit of exploration. Start by inputting a case or question you're already familiar with. See how the chat book analyzes the information, provides relevant rules and guidance and offers potential solutions. This hands-on experience will help you understand the tool's capabilities and build confidence in its ability to assist you with new challenges.
Mike Gregory: Try to challenge it with a creative question—it's always a fun way to test its limits. I like to ask something it shouldn't be able to answer, like, "What's the weather forecast for tomorrow?" or "Who was the U.S. president in 1983?" It should respond, "I don't know," because it only draws from its specific content. But where it really shines is with questions it should know from its knowledge base. For example, ask it, "Can I apply the federal rules of evidence in arbitration?" or seek guidance with a practical question like, "Should I choose one arbitrator or a panel of three?" You'll find it's not only strong on factual answers but also provides well-framed guidance, clearly grounded in the content it's been trained on. It's a powerful tool for both straightforward and advisory questions.