Support for the Intercollegiate Negotiation Competition

Problem and the Competition Outline

This year’s problem is set in two fictional countries: Negoland, which promotes cutting-edge AI medical technologies, and Arbitria, which places strong emphasis on safety and ethics. Negoland’s Red Corporation has developed an AI diagnostic support tool called RedAid and has been pursuing a partnership with the prestigious Blue University in Arbitria. Although both countries have advanced healthcare systems, the cultural and institutional differences between innovation-driven Negoland and safety- and accountability-oriented Arbitria play a significant role in the background of the conflict that eventually arises.

In Round A, two arbitration cases were heard. The first, the RedAid Case, arose from a patient’s death during the use of RedAid at Blue University, after which the university suspended its use. An internal investigation report was accidentally disclosed to the public, and the information spread widely. Red Corporation claimed that it suffered business losses due to this leak and sought damages from Blue University on the grounds of a breach of confidentiality. In response, Blue University argued that the accident was caused by a configuration error in RedAid and demanded that Red Corporation compensate it for the payments made to the patient’s family.

The second case, the Tourism Case, concerned a service operated under a special agreement for AI diagnostic support in medical tourism. It came to light that some patient data had been stored on overseas cloud servers, prompting Blue University to initiate arbitration seeking the cessation of such data transfers and compensation equivalent to a penalty Blue had to pay under Arbitrian law. Key themes included how the parties’ agreement should be interpreted in light of the contract and the underlying facts, as well as how to address pressing contemporary challenges such as the risks associated with AI medical devices and the management of sensitive data.

Round B takes place at a stage before the disputes arose. The negotiations focused on two themes: 1) a joint research agreement concerning the AI diagnostic support tool RedAid, and 2) a contract for the implementation of the telemedicine platform RedLink. The two parties considered the contractual terms from their respective standpoints and negotiated the future shape of their cooperative relationship.

Results

Special Awards

Category Awards

Results for the competition in Japanese

Results for the competition in English