Beyond the Human Negotiator: Generative AI and the Threshold of Autonomous Decision‐Making

This article provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in negotiation, evaluating contemporary systems through the specific case study of Large Language Models (LLMs). To address the lack of established terminology, it first proposes a new typology distinguishing Negotiation Supported by AI (NSAI), Negotiation by Controlled AI (NCAI), and Negotiation by Autonomous AI (NAAI). To determine whether current systems can achieve genuine NAAI, the article first develops the Core Essential Elements of Negotiation (CEEN) through a structured comparison of authoritative definitions of negotiation and then examines how these literature‐derived elements align with the perceptions of 250 survey respondents. Finally, the paper applies an ordered analytical rule to contemporary LLMs. Information Exchange and Reciprocity are directly instantiable; Outcome, Divergent Motivations, and Interdependence are externally conditioned; and Choice is not currently instantiable because an attributable evaluative standpoint and consequential commitment remain absent. Accordingly, current LLM‐based negotiating systems remain controlled rather than autonomous agents under the proposed typology.