In addition to promoting a great APFM 2025 Conference and Plenary session, the text that follows is an example of how ChatGPT can improve your writing. The original draft submitted to ChatGPT by Jim Melamed, and his prompting instructions for ChatGPT, are also included at the bottom of this article.
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Featuring Jim Melamed, Susan Guthrie, and Colin Rule
The Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM) is thrilled to present a distinguished keynote panel featuring internationally renowned mediators and thought leaders. Join Jim Melamed, Susan Guthrie, and Colin Rule on March 12, 2025, at the APFM Annual Conference for an insightful discussion on “40 Years of Mediation: Past, Present, and Future.” This dynamic conversation will explore the evolution of mediation and its trajectory moving forward. Don’t miss the chance to engage with experts shaping the field’s future!
The role of technology in mediation has been transformative. From the early days of typewriters and white-out to the advent of word processing software, email, and online tools, family mediators have consistently adapted to new innovations. Over time, incremental advancements—such as desktop publishing, websites, track-changes, file-sharing, cloud storage, online scheduling, digital payment systems, and remote evaluation tools—have steadily moved mediation into the digital age.
However, no technological shift has been as dramatic as the rise of Zoom and online mediation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Practitioners and clients alike experienced a mass societal shift to remote dispute resolution, making virtual mediation the new norm. Today, technology remains central to mediation practice, with an increasing reliance on Artificial Intelligence (AI)—a development that is set to revolutionize the field once again.
AI is poised to impact nearly every aspect of family mediation. Unlike previous tools that enhanced communication, AI introduces a new dimension by offering substantive input on dispute resolution. AI-powered decision-support tools and “wizards” can now analyze cases, generate optimized settlement options, and provide data-driven insights into potential agreements.
This shift presents new challenges and opportunities for mediators. Practitioners must now navigate not only participants’ perspectives but also their interpretations of AI-generated recommendations. Mediators will need to develop “AI strategies”—ensuring that AI-driven insights are understood, contextualized, and integrated into discussions without replacing human judgment and empathy. The future of mediation will require professionals who can skillfully blend human expertise with AI capabilities to facilitate fair and meaningful resolutions.
As mediation technology evolves, so too must the skillsets of mediators. Those who fail to embrace emerging online tools and AI-powered solutions risk becoming less relevant in a rapidly changing landscape. Historically, advancements in technology have enhanced communication in mediation; AI, however, represents the first development that directly impacts substantive decision-making.
Furthermore, these advancements will likely reshape mediator qualifications and training. Previously, assessing mediator competency was constrained by logistical and financial barriers—such as the high cost of in-person evaluations and distributing recorded role-play exercises via physical media. Today, Zoom and other online platforms allow for real-time interactive evaluations, global distribution of role-play assessments, and comprehensive peer-reviewed certifications.
Given the rapid pace of change, one might ask: Should mediators be certified once for a lifetime? With so much new to learn, the mediation profession may need to embrace ongoing education and skill verification. The online environment offers unparalleled opportunities for continuous training, evaluation and adaptation to emerging best practices.
At its core, mediation is about helping people find common ground and optimized solutions. As technology advances, mediators have an unprecedented opportunity to refine and enhance their craft, ultimately fostering a world where constructive dialogue and resolution become the norm.
Can society ever be too skilled at resolving conflict? We think not. By embracing innovation while preserving the human essence of mediation, we can strengthen our profession and contribute to a more harmonious world. Let’s continue to spread the word and champion the power of mediation!
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Jim:
Hi ChatGPT, I have developed a draft of an upcoming conference plenary session for the Academy of Professional Family Mediators (APFM). Can you please consider any adjustments to this draft to make it even better – in fact to optimize its effectiveness? I will now provide you with my first draft to improve.
ChatGPT:
That sounds great! Please share your draft, and I’ll refine it to maximize its effectiveness for your audience.
Jim (First Draft):
𝗔𝗣𝗙𝗠 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱-𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗞𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁, 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
“The Mediation Journey: From Origins to Present Day and Beyond”
with Jim Melamed, Susan Guthrie and Colin Rule
APFM is thrilled to present a distinguished keynote panel of internationally renowned mediators and thought leaders in the field. Join Jim Melamed, Susan Guthrie, and Colin Rule on March 12, 2025 at the APFM Annual Conference as they explore “40 Years of Mediation: Past, Present, Future.” Don’t miss this dynamic conversation with the experts who are helping to shape the future of mediation!
Among the topics to be considered are the impacts of technology on family mediation practice. Beginning with typewriters and “white-out,” family mediators were quick to grasp the value and importance of technology with the advent of “word processing,” first by dedicated word processors and then Word Perfect and Word software packages. Overtime, continued incremental technical changes, including email, attachments, desk-top publishing, websites, track-changes, drop-box, the cloud, and online scheduling, payment and evaluation all incrementally moved family mediation online.
No incremental advance, however, was as significant as the impacts of Covid, which created a mass societal Zoom training event for both professionals and the public. With Covid and Zoom, family mediation moved to be nearly 100% online, and continues to be dominantly online today. And now there is a “new kid on the block,” Artificial Intelligence (AI) which is coming to impact nearly every aspect of family mediation practice.
New and different with AI is the ability to utilize various “wizards” to provide direct substantive input as to what type of arrangements might be optimizing and most acceptable for parties. AI’s ability to directly address the substantive issues of a mediation is new and powerful and different. Mediators must now not only respond to participants’ perspectives generally, but also their impressions of what AI suggests as proper, fair and best set of solutions for their situation. Mediators now need “AI strategies” for both “hearing” participants’ AI perspectives and for working with participants toward identifying mutually acceptable and optimizing agreements.
All of this also suggests that the skills needed to most effectively mediate are steadily expanding. Mediators who fail to take advantage of improving online technologies are at risk of becoming less and less relevant. Notably, whereas most technical improvements over time have impacted mediation’s communicational capacities, AI is the first technical development that potentially goes directly to the parties’ substantive issues and their substantive solutions.
In time, these technical developments are also likely to impact mediator qualification determinations. Historically, the cost of offering in-person qualifications evaluation, or recording role play performances and distributing those recordings by videotape, CD or DVD to multiple evaluators, was cost prohibitive. This is no longer the case. With Zoom, mediators can now be presented with a variety of video “vignettes” and then be asked to demonstrate how they would respond in a real mediation. These role-play demonstrations can now easily be distributed world-wide for evaluation by any number of desired evaluators.
With so many technical developments in the world of mediation, one can justifiably question whether mediators should be certified or approved at one time for all time. There is so much new to learn! The online environment seems perfectly positioned to also offer needed ongoing training and evaluation, not only for professional mediators, but potentially also for participants. Could we as a society ever get too good at reaching agreement? We think not, and in the process, we believe we can and will also create a better world. A “mediation mindset” is exactly what the world needs now, so let’s get out there and spread the word.
✅ More engaging and dynamic tone – Speaks directly to the reader and builds excitement.
✅ Improved clarity and flow – Logical progression from historical context to AI and the future.
✅ Concise and impactful – Eliminates redundancy while emphasizing key points.
✅ Stronger call to action – Inspires mediators to embrace AI and ongoing professional growth.
Would you like any further refinements or adjustments?
Jim:
All good, thanks!
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