Using genetic algorithms to create solutions for conflict resolution

The process of devising solutions for conflict resolution generally configures a challenging task. There exist different approaches to address the problem, namely the use of case-based models or even relying on the parties themselves to perform the task. From a computational point of view, these problems generally represent a NP-complete problem. In order to surpass this shortcoming, in this paper it is presented a biologically inspired method to deal with the problem in which genetic algorithms are used to create possible solutions for a given dispute. The approach presented is able to generate a broad number of diverse solutions that cover virtually the whole search space for a given problem. This approach provides better results than a case-based approach since: (1) it is independent of the legal domain and (2) it does not depend on the number and quality of cases present in a database. The results of this work are being applied in a negotiation tool that is part of the UMCourt conflict resolution platform.