Professor Adeola Ayodele Oluwabiyi has called for the development of globally recognised regulations to govern the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in international arbitration.
Oluwabiyi, a Professor of International Law at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, made the call while delivering the university’s 428th inaugural lecture titled “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence in International Arbitration”.
She said the integration of AI into international arbitration should be approached cautiously to preserve the legitimacy, credibility and fairness of arbitral proceedings.
According to her, “Robust cybersecurity protocols and strict confidentiality safeguards are required to protect sensitive arbitration materials from misuse or unauthorised access.”
She also urged arbitral institutions and legislators to update procedural rules to reflect emerging technological realities, including issues of enforceability, transparency, accountability and ethical oversight.
“Generating a guideline that will have international recognition is therefore important to promote predictability and uniformity of application of procedures,” Oluwabiyi said.
She noted that Nigeria needed complementary laws to incorporate key principles governing AI, including appropriate human oversight and responsibility, transparency and confidentiality.
The professor observed that existing Nigerian laws did not specifically address the use of AI in legal and arbitral proceedings, creating uncertainty for legal practitioners, arbitral tribunals and institutions.
She warned against allowing AI to replace human arbitrators, stressing that technology should support rather than take over human judgement in arbitral proceedings.
“AI should be deployed in tandem with human arbitrators. The final decision in arbitration should remain the responsibility of human arbitrators,” she said.
Oluwabiyi also highlighted the risks associated with AI, including inaccurate outputs, algorithmic bias, data leakage, cybersecurity threats and fabricated legal authorities, which could affect the fairness and enforceability of arbitral awards.
She called on international bodies such as the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law and the International Bar Association to develop comprehensive guidelines capable of addressing the evolving use of AI in international arbitration.
The professor said AI had already improved several aspects of international arbitration, including legal research, document review, transcription, evidence analysis, case management and the preparation of arbitral awards.
She, however, stressed that technological advancement must remain subject to due process, impartiality and procedural fairness.