Dispute management in the digital era: the role of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies

Disputes become an accepted reality of construction projects, often resulting in serious consequences, including time and cost overruns, and broader macroeconomic impacts on the national economy. Disputes need to be managed effectively to reduce their negative impacts. Recently, an increasing trend has emerged toward integrating dispute management practices with innovative technologies of the digital era. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the applications of emerging digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to manage disputes proactively. This research begins with a scientometric analysis, followed by a systematic review of dispute management using digital technologies with a special focus on AI. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, the systematic review identified 66 previous studies that combine dispute management and digital technologies. The analysis revealed that technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Building Information Modelling (BIM), blockchain, smart contracts, Document Management System (DMS), big data, cloud computing, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) are utilized, while AI and its technologies significantly contribute to managing disputes. AI technologies, especially natural language processing, show a growing trend in applications for predicting disputes using project documents. In addition, the study develops a conceptual framework to predict disputes using AI technologies. The study identified potential research areas involving the integration of digital technologies for dispute management in the construction industry, offering valuable direction for future research. The research suggests that the use of AI and emerging digital technologies potentially predicts and mitigates disputes, thereby paving the way for proactive dispute management.