If somebody were to ask me (actually somebody did ask me) about the future of conflict resolution, my answer would have to include technology. Technology is already enabling us to do things that would have been unimaginable only, say, 20 years ago. We now carry devices in our pockets that enable access to virtually any available information. I can tap my cellphone to pinpoint my location on an interactive map and find out instantly how long it will take me to get anywhere by any available mode of transportation; I receive updates on appointments or plane schedules without even asking for them; and I can instantly communicate, via Twitter, or Linkedin or Facebook, or any number of other means, with virtually anyone.

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But to retain the favor of tomorrow’s clientele, mediators themselves are going to have to embrace technology or we might get left behind by even more efficient ways of resolving disputes. We think of mediation as an advanced form of conflict resolution compared to the creaky old court system, but how advanced will mediation seem when someone comes up with an algorithm that decides cases for disputants? People who are used to being able to get an instant answer to any question from the palms of their hands, are going to be receptive to those kinds of solutions.

For now, I don’t even have any particular “mediation apps” to recommend, though it seems obvious that mediators, like everyone else, will increasingly be doing more business online and using the tools their clients are using to schedule and conduct meetings, and to share information. But part of the challenge for mediators in the future will also lie in persuading disputants of the value of old-fashioned talking remedies for conflict–methods that can be traced back to traditions like sitting around the campfire smoking a peace pipe. We have to work even harder to persuade people to slow down and try methods as ancient as that, while at the same time remaining open to new techniques, because we live in a rapidly-changing world that puts a premium on innovative solutions.

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