---
id: "question-ai-negotiation-ceiling"
type: "open-question"
source_timestamps: ["§ How Companies Are Using Agentic AI to Negotiate"]
tags: ["ai-future", "limitations"]
related: ["concept-agentic-ai-negotiation", "claim-ai-replaces-routine-negotiation", "entity-mit"]
resolutionPath: "Longitudinal studies of enterprise AI adoption in contract management, specifically tracking the transition of AI from 'tail-end' supplier contracts to core, high-stakes strategic partnerships."
sources: ["ecosystem"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-ecosystem"
originDay: 11
articleStem: "hbr-nm-103-big-companies-negotiate-deals"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/01/why-big-companies-struggle-to-negotiate-great-deals"
sourceTitle: "Why Big Companies Struggle to Negotiate Great Deals"
---
# What is the complexity ceiling for AI-led negotiations?

**Open question:** Fully autonomous negotiations are currently limited to relatively low-value procurement agreements. How fast will this practice spread, and how complex can AI-led negotiations become before human judgment and creativity are strictly required? See [[concept-agentic-ai-negotiation]] and [[claim-ai-replaces-routine-negotiation]].

**Resolution path:** Longitudinal studies of enterprise AI adoption in contract management, specifically tracking the transition of AI from 'tail-end' supplier contracts to core, high-stakes strategic partnerships.

**Enrichment note:** Because the source's specific scale claims (Walmart/Maersk thousands of deals; [[entity-mit-d11|MIT]] 2025 competition) are unverified, any resolution effort should first establish an audited factual baseline. Governance dimensions — liability, explainability, adversarial robustness — are likely to determine the ceiling as much as raw capability.