Extended Reality for Alternative Dispute Resolution

Authors

Ryan Gallagher

Abstract

“What is real? How do you define ‘real’? If you’re talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then ‘real’ is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.” As technology continues to advance, its effects will be felt in all aspects of our lives, and the world of Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) will be no different. Dispute resolution processes must adapt to the needs of their users. These users are increasingly in different parts of the world as the global economy expands. Inevitably, globalization leads to more conflicts that require resolution. Technology can be effectively utilized to bridge this gap and allow for ADR proceedings to take place while disputants are located almost anywhere in the world. Although great progress has been achieved in the world of online ADR in recent years, it still lacks a sense of reality, as it tends to take place on a screen or over the phone and does not provide the same level of in-depth immersion and realism of a face-to-face conversation. By introducing the technology of virtual, augmented, and mixed realities, collectively referred to as Extended Reality Technology (“XR Technology”), mediators and arbitrators may be able to conduct ADR proceedings online in a way that gives the participants the feeling of actually being present at their proceedings despite being in different physical locations.

Recommended Citation

Ryan Gallagher, Extended Reality for Alternative Dispute Resolution, 2025 J. Disp. Resol. (2025)
Available at: https://scholarship.law.missouri.edu/jdr/vol2025/iss1/9