The World Trade Organization (WTO) has highlighted the role of trade as a powerful driver of an inclusive artificial intelligence (AI) transformation.
According to the organization, global trade in AI-enabling goods — including raw materials, semiconductors, and intermediate inputs — reached USD 2.3 trillion in 2023.
The upcoming 2025 World Trade Report will examine the impact of international trade and the relevance of WTO agreements for AI development.
It draws on fresh data from a joint business survey conducted with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
New WTO simulations suggest that AI could expand cross-border trade in goods and services by nearly 40% by 2040, thanks to productivity gains and lower trade costs.
The WTO-ICC survey further shows that 90% of firms already using AI report tangible benefits in trade-related operations.
The report updates simulations using the WTO Global Trade Model and introduces a new AI Trade Policy Openness Index, which tracks three areas critical to AI adoption: barriers to services trade, restrictions on AI-enabling goods, and limitations on cross-border data flows.
Speaking ahead of the report’s release, WTO Deputy Director-General Johanna Hill warned that trade policy uncertainty remains a drag on business confidence, investment, and supply chains.
“These are certainly testing times for the multilateral trading system. But the fact that many WTO members continue to respond to trade measures in line with the WTO rulebook is definitely a silver lining,” she said.
Hill underscored AI’s growing influence on the global economy and international trade.
Building on the WTO’s 2024 study “Trading with Intelligence,” the new report goes further by analysing how AI could affect income convergence, inequality, and inclusive growth.
Linking the findings to the theme of the WTO Public Forum, Hill explained that the report explores the fast-evolving relationship between AI and trade, and how international cooperation can help ensure AI supports inclusion rather than undermines it.
“AI could be a bright spot for trade in an increasingly complex environment. It offers opportunities to reduce costs, boost productivity, and expand participation in global markets,” she noted.
Still, Hill cautioned that AI’s benefits are not guaranteed for all countries. Unequal access to digital infrastructure, skills, and hardware could worsen existing divides.
“The potential for trade and AI to foster inclusive growth can only be realized if we act deliberately, by closing digital divides, investing in education and training, deploying labour adjustment policies, and maintaining an open and predictable trading environment,” she added.
She also emphasized the need for stronger collaboration between the WTO and other international organizations to broaden global participation in the AI-driven economy.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Rosmond Akuorkor Adjetey
