GENEVA, 15th September, 2026 (WAM) -- Hundreds of participants gathered at the WTO for World Trade & Tech Day on Monday, 14 September, a sign of how AI is fundamentally changing the way cross-border commerce is evolving.
Under the banner of "AI and Trade: Turning Potential into Progress", the day consisted of a full day of panel discussions and other knowledge-sharing opportunities aimed at fostering conversations on technology and trade. The event shone a spotlight on how AI and frontier technologies are making international trade more efficient, bringing together government leaders as well as academics and private sector representatives to discuss ways to harness AI's potential into tangible economic gains and an engine for inclusive growth.
"The AI revolution promises to transform the way we trade, by lowering trade costs and enhancing productivity growth, particularly in services. Trade is the backbone of the AI value chain, from cross-border data flows all the way back to critical minerals," WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala noted.
AI and trade growth have been going hand in hand, said the Director-General. She pointed out that global goods trade volume expanded by 4.6% last year, with an estimated 42% of that growth coming from trade in AI-related products. Trade is the backbone of the AI supply chain, she said.
In the Ministerial Dialogue at the start of the day, ministers from several small economies sounded an optimistic note about how AI can help countries like theirs to become more productive. The session highlighted examples of how AI is already being used to can enable small countries to compete on the world stage, particularly in services.