The World Trade Organization is preparing to bring together policymakers, technology leaders and trade experts for the first World Trade and Tech Day, an event focused on understanding how artificial intelligence can reshape international commerce and create broader economic opportunities.

The event is scheduled to take place in Geneva and will examine practical ways governments can use technology and trade policy together rather than treating them as separate areas of economic planning. The discussions are expected to focus particularly on reducing the costs associated with cross-border commerce, improving access to digital technologies and ensuring that smaller businesses and developing economies are not left behind.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly influencing the way companies produce goods, deliver services, manage supply chains and interact with customers in international markets. AI-based systems can help businesses analyse demand, improve logistics, automate documentation and navigate complex regulatory requirements. These capabilities could make international trade faster and less expensive.

The WTO has also highlighted the wider economic potential of AI. Its research indicates that artificial intelligence could significantly increase global economic output and international trade over the coming years, provided that countries are able to address differences in technological adoption and ensure that the benefits of innovation are distributed more widely.

However, greater reliance on AI also creates policy challenges. Countries differ substantially in their digital infrastructure, access to advanced technologies, skills and regulatory frameworks. Without appropriate policies, the technological divide could result in unequal participation in the global trading system.

The Geneva discussions therefore come at a time when governments are increasingly considering how artificial intelligence should be incorporated into economic and trade strategies. Issues surrounding digital regulation, data, skills, infrastructure, market access and international cooperation are becoming increasingly important for businesses operating across borders.

Another important area of attention will be inclusion. Smaller enterprises often face higher costs and greater administrative barriers when attempting to enter international markets. AI-powered tools could potentially reduce some of those disadvantages by helping businesses with translation, market research, logistics planning, compliance and communication with overseas customers.

Developing economies could also gain from wider access to AI if technological infrastructure, investment and skills development advance together. For policymakers, the challenge will be to create conditions in which technological progress supports participation in international trade instead of concentrating opportunities among a limited number of economies and companies.

The WTO’s broader research has identified lower trade costs, productivity improvements and the expansion of digitally deliverable services as important channels through which AI could influence global commerce. The organization has also stressed that policy choices will play an important role in determining how widely those gains are shared.

The first World Trade and Tech Day consequently represents an effort to connect technological innovation with the practical realities of international trade. Rather than focusing only on the capabilities of artificial intelligence, the discussions are expected to consider how governments can create policies that allow businesses and economies to turn those capabilities into tangible economic gains.

As AI continues to develop rapidly, cooperation between trade and technology policymakers is likely to become increasingly important. The Geneva meeting provides a new platform for examining how international rules and national strategies can evolve alongside one of the most significant technological transformations affecting the global economy.