On 14 October 2025, as part of CIL’s Distinguished Speaker Series, Professor Sir William Blair delivered a Guest Lecture entitled “AI in International Dispute Resolution – An Agent for Change”. The Distinguished Guest Lecture was hosted by Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Singapore, and was followed by an expert panel discussion. The event was hybrid and attended online by 538 participants.

During the Guest Lecture, Sir William Blair examined how AI is affecting international dispute resolution and what its potential implies for how cases are tried today. He addressed due process and transparency, verification to counter errors, the promise and limits of prediction, opportunities for case management tools and summarisation to tackle complexification, and the appropriate use of AI in drafting while preserving judicial and arbitral responsibility.

Opening remarks were given by Dr Nilufer Oral, Director, Centre for International Law, Singapore; Gitta Satryani, Head of Disputes for Southeast Asia, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Singapore; and Celine Lange, Lead, Programme Development, International Dispute Resolution, Centre for International Law, Singapore.

Dr Jon Truby of NUS CIL, moderated the panel which included the following experts:

1. Tomas Furlong, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Singapore
2. Prof Simon Chesterman, Vice Provost (Educational Innovation), NUS Law / Senior Director of AI Governance, AI Singapore.
3. Hu Ying, Assistant Professor at the NUS Faculty of Law.
4. Jakob Mökander, Director of Science & Technology Policy, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

Each speaker focused on a distinct facet of the agenda:

• Tomas Furlong highlighted practical adoption within law firms, showing how specialist tools are entering day-to-day workflows and where they can speed case preparation and management.
• Professor Simon Chesterman addressed the careful use of AI in drafting judgments and arbitral awards, emphasising verification, confidentiality and the continuing personal responsibility of decision-makers.
• Dr Hu Ying examined hallucinations and mistakes, stressing the need for verification and the professional duty to ensure accuracy in any AI-assisted work.
• Dr Jakob Mökander considered the technical trajectory and future potential of AI, outlining where current capabilities may assist courts and tribunals and where limits remain.

Sir Wiliam Blair is a Professor of Financial Law and Ethics at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London.

A recording of the event is available here: https://cil.nus.edu.sg/event/artificial-intelligence-in-international-dispute-resolution-an-agent-for-change/

The seminar was a SILE-accredited activity worth 1.5 Public CPD Points in the Practice Area of International Law, Training Category General.