Adopting AI for trade
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Adopting AI for trade: Business insights to inform policy and practice
From reducing costs to enhancing productivity, artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping global trade and creating new opportunities for companies of all sizes and geographical locations to expand their reach in the global economy. But while AI offers the promise of levelling the playing field – particularly for small firms in developing economies – it could just as easily risk deepening existing divides if barriers to inclusive adoption are not addressed, this joint survey by ICC and the World Trade Organization identifies.
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A joint survey by the International Chamber of Commerce and the World Trade Organization (WTO) examines how companies around the world are adopting AI to support trade-related activities. It finds that:
- Nearly 50% of surveyed firms already use AI to support trade-related activities.
- 90% report tangible benefits from using AI in trade, ranging from efficiency gains and expanded export bases, to a broader range of traded import and export products.
- Up to 50% reductions in trade-related costs have been reported by businesses, including in communications and compliance functions.
- AI could open new pathways for micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in lower income economies to diversify exports and reach new markets.
- AI adoption remains uneven, despite potential, with many businesses citing concerns over regulatory fragmentation, skills shortages, lack of trust and security risks.
Policy recommendations to achieve inclusive AI for global trade
- Safeguard the free flow of data and prohibit unjustified data localisation to support AI development, deployment and scale. AI systems depend on access to large, diverse data sets; without reliable cross-border data flows, their performance, accuracy and global applicability are severely constrained.
- Accelerate digitalisation, ensuring interoperable digital trade systems and secure data exchange. Digital infrastructure is a prerequisite for AI adoption – AI cannot be deployed effectively where core processes remain analogue or disconnected.
- Ensure a strong role for business in shaping AI-related trade policies and international standards, and delivering practical solutions through public–private partnerships. Business must be involved not only in policymaking as the primary developer and deployer of AI but also in piloting initiatives that build capacity and operationalise commitments, particularly in developing economies.
- Reduce duties and regulatory barriers on goods and services that support AI, including leveraging and expanding existing WTO agreements.
These recommendations build on global business insights shared in ICC’s policy paper Achieving inclusive AI, which calls for enabling policy environments that tackle regulatory fragmentation, support innovation, meaningful connectivity and capacity building, as the foundation for bridging the digital divide and expanding the uptake of AI in trade processes.
