AI4PCR: Artificial intelligence for practicing conflict resolution

Abstract

The ability to resolve conflict while preserving relationships is ever more vital in our divisive, global society. Traditional conflict-resolution training is mostly delivered in one-off sessions with practice opportunities limited to a fixed number of pre-defined role play scenarios. This is insufficient for acquiring the notoriously difficult skill of communicating effectively amidst conflict. We present a new web application that teaches relationship-preserving language for conflict resolution. Our system uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide automated feedback to open text, natural language input, alerting users to language that may sound judgmental or be otherwise ineffective for resolving conflict. Our application prompts users to respond to scenarios of workplace conflict while receiving feedback from the AI. We conducted qualitative interviews with 13 participants and explore a range of themes relevant to our users’ experiences. We discuss design implications of our results through the cognitive, active, affective and relational dimensions of experiential design.