Negotiation Transformed? AI in Bargaining and its Broader Implications

AI tools are revolutionizing negotiation practices. Professionals increasingly use Large Language Model (“LLM”) chatbots as partners—both in preparation and as copilots during live negotiations. Firms also routinely deploy AI systems to monitor market shifts, digest complex information, support decision-making, and even autonomously negotiate routine agreements. As these tools advance, research is beginning to identify their broader effects on employees, organizations, markets, and legal systems. This multi-disciplinary conference will convene expertise from a range of fields: computer scientists developing new LLMs and data systems; business leaders developing and adopting AI negotiation tools; behavioral, organizational, and legal researchers; and negotiation educators and trainers. Through interdisciplinary inquiry, the conference will ask: where is AI really changing negotiation, where is it not, and what should we do about it? The conversation will extend beyond bargaining efficiency to questions of trust, organizational coordination, market dynamics, and how responsibility should be shared among humans, machines, and institutions. This event is part of the Frontiers in Data Science and AI initiative at the Data Science Institute; and co-sponsored by the AI in Business Initiative at the Columbia Business School.