The world’s most advanced collaborative negotiation systems, capable of supporting any type of formal negotiation, are built in Canada by iCan Systems. iCan’s entry level product is Smartsettle ONE, which is an online collaboration system designed for simple negotiations that can be reduced to a single numerical issue. ONE aims to simplify the negotiation process and help parties settle disputes sooner. A complete process, supported by proprietary algorithms, guides users from the initial intake to a formal agreement.
The incursion of robots into mediation hit a new milestone in February 2020, when Smartsettle ONE became the first instance of a “robot mediator” used to resolve a dispute in a public court in the UK (from “Robots and AI threaten to mediate disputes better than lawyers”, Financial Times, Aug 13, 2019). ONE is now in Canadian government sponsored trials, aimed at supporting the testing and evaluation of advanced technologies in a real-life setting. The project will be used to test Smartsettle ONE in real negotiations with First Nations members in the province of British Columbia. The Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council will be taking a leadership position in these trials, with their own Certified Smartsettle ONE Facilitators. The results of the trials will be used to improve the Smartsettle ONE system and processes and determine where it should be applied next. The feedback is designed to propel Smartsettle ONE into the marketplace.
This project comes at a time when interest in Online Dispute Resolution has exploded due to COVID-19 precautions and restrictions. Court processes were already under strain, and are now forced to find alternative ways to resolve registered disputes. Traditional face-to-face mediations are no longer practical and people are looking for ways to solve their problems online. There’s no doubt that Smartsettle solutions will soon be adopted in resolution processes not only across Canada, but internationally as well.
Further Details: Innovative Solutions Canada – Testing Stream (ISC-TS) (formerly Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP)), along with Indigenous Services Canada, are sponsoring this trial project using the Smartsettle ONE eNegotiation system to resolve disputes within the First Nations community. The testing period is expected to take eight months (Jul 2020 – Mar 2021). iCan Systems, the creators of Smartsettle, have partnered with the Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council (NmTC) to bring this project to life.
Visit smartsettle.com for more information.