ABSTRACT
The fledgling world of online dispute resolution (ODR), including mediation, peacemaking, and peacebuilding, has yet to be fully realized. This chapter suggests that the most useful definition is that ODR is the intelligent application of information and communication technology to any of the varied modes that make up the practice of conflict engagement. The two frontiers concerned during the past 15 years that are first e-commerce, and second traditional conflict engagement modes, examples of which include the alternative practices of mediation and facilitation. The new frontier involves much more of the world of conflict engagement at large, and includes modes of practice that heretofore have been unavailable to mediators and other practitioners. ODR systems that deal with filing cases, scheduling cases, and other normal aspects of the justice system continue to be developed and come online. The work being done in varied ODR platforms, artificial intelligence (AI), and natural-language research is going to revolutionize how people do public participation engagement.
