Cybermediation
Mediation is a ‘low tech’ field in which interpersonal skills, savoir-faire, and emotional intelligence are critically relevant for a good mediator. It remains so. Â
However, mediation must adjust to the changing society that is increasingly impacted by digital technology. Against this background, on 13 May 2018, DiploFoundation established a consortium to explore how digital technology affects mediation in preventing and resolving violent conflicts. The Consortium included the UN Department of Political Affairs, DiploFoundation, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, and Swisspeace. The Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs supported this initiative.
On this page, you can consult AI Assistant for cybermediation.Â
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the #Cybermediation initiative are to:
- Inform mediation practitioners about the impact of new information and communication technologies on mediation, including their benefits, challenges and risks in relation to peacemaking
- Develop synergies between the mediation community and the tech sector Identify areas of particular relevance and co-operation
The initiative focuses on four thematic areas in detail:
- The impact of new technologies
- Social media
- (Big) data
- Artificial intelligence
DiploFoundation and the Geneva Internet Platform are coordinating the activities of the thematic working groups on big data and artificial intelligence.
MUST READ
- Report from  Roundtable ‘The Potential of Virtual Reality for Peace Mediation‘ (5 November 2020) The 2020 Geneva Peace Week event ‘Building Trust in CyberMediation: A Collective Leadership Challenge?‘
- Policy brief ‘Virtual Reality and the Future of Peacemaking‘ by Julie A. Gregory
- Report on Mediation and AI: Notes on the future of international conflict resolution (19th November 2019) CyberMediation Conference (19th November 2019)
- Digest and recording of our June 2019 WebDebate : ‘AI for peacemaking: New tools’
- The 2018 Geneva Peace Week event in Geneva: #CyberMediation: the impact of digital technologies on the prevention and resolution of violent conflicts
- Digest and recording of October 2018 event in Geneva: #Cybermediation: What role for blockchain technology and natural language processing AI?
- Digest and recording of our July 2018 WebDebate:Â #Cybermediation: New skills and tools for mediation
- Press release on the launch of the initiative in March 2018: #CyberMediation initiative launched to address potential and challenges of digital tools in peace mediation
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About AI in mediation The field of artificial intelligence (AI) advances at a fast pace, and AI tools are increasingly used in various domains. Some of these tools could be used to facilitate and support mediation activities, such as machine translation systems and text-mining applications. There is also considerable research being done on whether AI could be used to automate certain negotiation functions (the so-called ‘autonomous negotiating agents’). This group will look at existing AI tools and their possible applications in mediation activities, while also exploring the potential role of automated and autonomous negotiation systems in mediation efforts.
Big data
The exponential growth of data in modern society brings new opportunities for better informed mediation. This working group will focus on the relevance of digital data to, for example, better understand positions and public sentiments in preparation for mediation. At the same time, it will look into some of the main challenges of using new types of data, related to the reliance on the private sector, the quality of data, as well as privacy, security, and ethical considerations.
Activities
DiploFoundation and the Geneva Internet Platform will conduct research and organise regular meetings (online and offline) to improve our understanding of the impact of these technologies on mediation. We will raise monthly questions about big data and AI for an online discussion about these topics.
Interested in joining the working groups on big data and AI? Send an e-mail to  mediation@diplomacy.edu.
From our blog
Report of ‘The Potential of Virtual Reality for Peace Mediation’ roundtable
24 November 2020
Cybermediation, Digital diplomacy, Diplomatic theory and practice
Title of event: The Potential of Virtual Reality for Peace Mediation Date 5 Nov 2020  On 5 November 2020, two member organisations of the CyberMediation Network – Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) and DiploFo...
13 dialogues between AI and humans
20 November 2019
The interplay between tech and humanity stands at the core of the discussion on the future of AI (and our society). It is often centred around a few topics as described in the Socratic-style dialogues below. You ...
[WebDebate #30 summary] AI for peacemaking: New tools
17 June 2019
Artificial Intelligence, Conflict resolution & Mediation, Cybermediation, Diplomatic theory and practice
In our June WebDebate, we explored the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) for peacemaking: Â the opportunities AI tools offer for mediation, the feasibility of these tools, and how they fit into the role and wo...
Cybermediation: What role for blockchain and artificial intelligence?
12 October 2018
Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Blockchain diplomacy, Cryptocurrencies, Cybermediation
Last week, the Geneva Internet Platform hosted an event on #Cybermediation, as part of the #Cybermediation initiative. The discussion, moderated by DiploFoundation's Interim Director Dr Stephanie Borg Psaila, focused ...
Training and courses
Events
Harnessing the Power of Culture in Mediation, Conflict Prevention, and Resolution – Virtual conference
17 Jan 21 - 18 Jan 21
Online
Geneva Peace Week – Building Trust in Cybermediation: A Collective Leadership Challenge?
03 Nov 20 - 03 Nov 20
Online
[WebDebate] AI for peacemaking: New tools and opportunities for mediators
04 Jun 19 - 04 Jun 19
Online
#Cybermediation: What role for blockchain technology and natural language processing AI?
05 Oct 18 -
Switzerland
Resources
2020
Virtual Reality and the Future of Peacemaking (Briefing Paper #14)
The briefing paper discusses the potential of virtual reality in fostering peacebuilding efforts worldwide. Through VR technology, individuals can develop empathy, understand different perspectives, and communicate effectively, facilitating conflict resolution. VR appl... Read more...
2019
Mediation and artificial intelligence: Notes on the future of international conflict resolution
Over the last years AI has emerged as a hot topic with regard to its impact on our political, social, and economic lives.... Read more...