Notice of AI-Assisted Tools 

At Matthews Mediation Chambers we are committed to ethically incorporating the best available technologies into the process of dispute resolution through our co-mediation services. We also take very seriously our ethical obligation to assure and preserve the confidentiality that is essential to effective and professional mediation of disputes among human beings. Based on these commitments, we have undertaken extensive research and analysis of the various AI tools available and in development (including some tools that are labeled AI for marketing purposes only) and we are confident that we have identified and incorporated safe and effective tools to ethically enhance the quality of our co-mediation services while guaranteeing the privacy and confidentiality of all information provided to us.

This Notice describes those tools and how they work. It also gives you the right to decline them. 

1. Zoom tools

To ensure the highest level of accuracy and to guarantee that no key issues are overlooked during our session, we utilize advanced documentation tools under the following conditions:

  • No Recording: The mediation session will never be video or audio recorded without the express written consent of all parties to the mediation.

  • Meeting Transcription: We will use Zoom’s built-in AI Companion tool specifically for its transcription function to create a real-time written record. This transcript is saved locally on our computer, and is not stored in the cloud.

    • While it is part of what Zoom calls its “AI Companion”, the transcription service is actually not based on generative AI, but Zoom’s ASR Model Pro, an algorithmic speech-to-text like Siri or Alexa.

    • Zoom’s AI Companion features adhere to the same security and compliance requirements as the primary Zoom products within which they are incorporated. AI Companion is ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and ISO 27017/18 certified and is also included within the scope of Zoom’s SOC 2 report, available on Zoom’s Trust Center.

    • Although Zoom does implement a federated approach with third-party model providers for their AI Companion, Zoom does not allow third-party model providers to use your data to improve or train their models. Nevertheless, we have taken the further step of opting to use ZMO (Zoom model only) implementation, so our use of AI Companion is never federated to third-party providers.

2. Google Gemini

MMC has a subscription for enterprise use of Google’s Gemini and pursuant to the written agreement, no data provided to Gemini within MMC’s Google Workspace is permitted outside MMC’s private and confidential workspace. Your mediation summaries, chats and uploaded files in Gemini Apps won’t be reviewed by human reviewers or otherwise used to improve generative AI models.

  • Issue Analysis: Matthews Mediation Chambers leverages a secure, custom-built AI tool to summarize pre-mediation documents and Zoom transcripts. This specialized approach allows us to pinpoint core issues quickly and accurately, ensure fairness by addressing every topic without misconstruction, and maximize efficiency by reducing the hours required for mediation prep.

  • Privacy & GDPR: The AI tool used is strictly governed by GDPR customer data requirements. Your data remains confidential: neither the prompts nor the outputs are available to the AI provider, and no data is used to train AI models.

  • We only use Zoom transcripts or AI when we are engaged in co-mediation so that Joe remains entirely focused on use of conventional mediation processes and his judgment developed over nearly 50 years of practice as a lawyer, arbitrator, and mediator. At the same time Kyle adds his own perspective and offers participants the opportunity to craft careful inquiries to see how our custom AI framework might help resolve their dispute.

  • Data Deletion: Once a mediation is completed, the local transcript and any temporary AI data will be permanently deleted in accordance with our privacy policy.

Your Consent Participation in this AI-assisted process is entirely voluntary. You may each individually choose not to consent to the use of AI transcription or summarization. If you decline, we will proceed with traditional manual note-taking.




Frequently Asked Questions: AI & Privacy

1. Is our conversation being recorded?

No. We have disabled all video and audio recording features. The AI tool only processes text (speech-to-text) in real-time to create a transcript. There is no "playback" file of your voices or faces.

2. Where does the transcript go?

The transcript is saved locally on the mediator’s password-protected, encrypted computer. It is not stored on Zoom’s servers or in a public cloud. Once the issues are summarized and the session concludes, the file is permanently deleted.

3. Does the AI "learn" from our private business?

No. We use a professional-grade AI tool governed by strict GDPR requirements. Unlike public versions of AI (like the free version of ChatGPT), our tool is "closed." This means:

  • Your data is never used to train the AI model.

  • Your prompts and outputs are not saved by the AI provider.

  • The information remains within our "silo" and is invisible to the outside world.

4. Who has access to the AI summaries?

Only the mediators. The summaries are used as a neutral "check-list" to ensure that if a client brings up a specific concern—for example, a specific date or a nuanced financial point—it isn't lost in the heat of the discussion.

5. What if I change my mind mid-session?

You have the right to withdraw consent at any time. If you feel uncomfortable, simply let the mediator know. We will immediately stop the transcription, delete the file generated up to that point, and switch to manual note-taking.

6. Is this legally compliant?

Yes. Our use of AI is designed to meet the highest standards of confidentiality and data protection (GDPR). It is an administrative aid for the mediator, much like a stenographer.