WTO: Artificial Intelligence and International Trade

Key Chapter Title List

1. Introduction
2. Why is Artificial Intelligence a Trade Issue?
3. Policy Considerations for AI and Trade
4. What Role Can the WTO Play?
5. Conclusion
6. A Brief History of Artificial Intelligence
7. How Does AI Affect International Trade?
8. The Widening AI Divide
9. Ensuring Trustworthy AI Without Hindering Trade
10. Domestic, Regional, and International AI Governance Initiatives and Fragmentation Risks
11. Promoting Global Convergence
12. Facilitating Trade in AI-related Goods and Services

Document Introduction

This report, prepared by the World Trade Organization Secretariat, is the institution's first comprehensive and in-depth research study examining the intersection of artificial intelligence and international economic trade. The report aims to respond to the profound transformations brought about by the rapid development of AI technology, exploring how it reshapes the form, cost, and landscape of global trade, and analyzing the resulting policy challenges and global governance needs. The core issue of the report is to clarify why AI has become an important trade issue and to examine the critical role that the multilateral trading system, particularly the WTO, can play in promoting the inclusive development of AI technology, addressing its associated risks, and preventing regulatory fragmentation.

The report first analyzes the unique characteristics of AI as a general-purpose technology, including its reliance on big data, rapid evolution capability, and inherent complexity and opacity. Building on this, the report details AI's potential to reduce trade costs through various means such as optimizing logistics, overcoming language barriers, and simplifying compliance processes. The report specifically points out that digitally delivered services, AI-related hardware (such as chips), and the trade of data and energy that support AI development will become the trade areas most significantly impacted by AI. Simultaneously, AI may reshape countries' comparative advantages, and its development and application could also intensify industrial concentration and the "AI divide."

At the policy level, the report delves into the core challenges posed by AI: how to bridge the gap in AI development and application capabilities among different economies; how to balance promoting cross-border data flows to nourish AI innovation with protecting personal privacy; how to design regulatory frameworks that ensure AI is trustworthy (covering reliability, safety, privacy, accountability, etc.) without constituting unreasonable trade barriers; and the new questions AI poses to traditional intellectual property systems, such as copyright for training data and the ownership of AI-generated content.

The report observes a surge in AI governance initiatives globally, from national strategies and regional cooperation to international principles, presenting a diverse and potentially conflicting landscape. This policy "fragmentation" imposes high compliance costs, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, and may hinder the widespread sharing of AI's benefits. In this context, the role of the WTO, as the core platform for rules-based global trade policy, has garnered significant attention.

Finally, the report systematically assesses the potential of WTO rules and mechanisms in addressing AI-related trade challenges. This includes promoting regulatory convergence through transparency mechanisms (such as TBT notifications) and policy reviews; facilitating the cross-border flow of AI-related goods, services, technology, and intellectual property through existing rule frameworks such as the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS); promoting the development of new digital trade rules through negotiation processes like the "Joint Statement Initiative on E-commerce"; and utilizing its forum function to foster dialogue, experience sharing, and dispute prevention. The report emphasizes that although AI governance extends far beyond trade, trade rules and policies are an indispensable part of building a robust global AI governance framework.