Negotiation Transformed? AI in Bargaining and its Broader Implications

Sponsored By: Data Science Institute, Columbia University; and the AI in Business Initiative, Columbia Business School
About this Event

Negotiation Transformed? AI in Bargaining and its Broader Implications

AI tools are revolutionizing negotiation practices. Professionals increasingly use LLM chatbots as preparation partners and copilots at the bargaining table, while firms deploy AI systems to monitor market shifts, digest complex information, support decision-making, and even autonomously negotiate routine agreements. As these tools advance, research is beginning to identify their broader effects on employees, organizations, markets, and legal systems.

This conference will bring together computer scientists pushing the envelope on LLMs and data systems; business leaders developing and adopting AI negotiation tools; behavioral, organizational, and legal researchers; and negotiation educators and trainers. Through interdisciplinary inquiry, the conference will ask: where is AI really changing negotiation, where is it not, and what should we do about it? The conversation will extend beyond bargaining efficiency to questions of trust, organizational coordination, market dynamics, and how responsibility should be shared among humans, machines, and institutions.

Sponsored by:

• Data Science Institute, Columbia University, Frontiers in Data Science and AI
• Columbia Business School, AI in Business Initiative

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Agenda

Speakers to be announced soon!

Friday, October 30, 2026

Location: Geffen Hall (Room 330/330), Columbia Business School

8:30 AM: Doors Open
9:00 AM: Coffee & Networking (15 min)
9:15 AM: Opening Remarks (15 min)
9:30 AM: Keynote: AI as the Negotiator (30 min)
10:00 AM: Emerging Practice and Research (60 min)
11:00 AM: Coffee Break (15 min)
11:15 AM: Panel Discussion: Social and Legal Implications of Autonomous AI (60 min)
12:15 PM: Lunch and Networking (75 min)
1:30 PM: Afternoon Introductions: Program Reflection (15 min)
1:45 PM: Keynote: AI as a Coach (30 min)
2:15 PM: Emerging Practice and Research (60 min)
3:15 PM: Coffee Break (15 min)
3:30 PM: Panel Discussion: Social, Organizational, and Legal Implications of AI Coaching (45 min)
4:15 PM: Panel Discussion: Teaching Negotiation (45 min)
5:00 PM: Mixer: Poster and Demo Session (60 min)
6:00 PM: Event Ends