APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN ALTERNATIVE DISPUTES RESOLUTION IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This article focuses on the application of artificial intelligence in alternative dispute resolution
in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria. Adopting the doctrinal research methodology, this article
revealed that the application of artificial intelligence in ADR is desirable in present day evolving
society. Again, there is no specific law on the application of artificial intelligence in ADR
proceedings in Nigeria and the existing institutions on ADR proceedings at both national and
international levels lack the required security and technological architecture, efficiency and
support to ensure the smooth application of artificial intelligence in ADR especially in the oil
and gas industry. The development of robots and avatars like ‘sophia’ for instance clearly
exemplifies how artificial intelligence can be applied in ADR proceedings. Lack of a robust legal
regime and poor infrastructural facilities are some of the identified challenges militating against
the successful application of artificial intelligence in alternative dispute resolution procedures.
Others are lack of adequate and enhanced software for coding algorithm and programming,
resistance to change as well as digital divide. Despite these challenges, the application of
artificial intelligence in ADR procedures in the industry offers benefits of better performance
through rule-based tasks such as electronic recovery of documents with higher level of accuracy,
lower cost implications and time saving factor. Artificial intelligence offers the elimination of
all forms of human-bias associated with human ADR and an inbuilt policy for the detection of
corruption and negative influences of human arbitrators in alternative dispute resolution
proceedings.