World Trade Organization: AI could boost global trade by 37 percent by 2040

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has predicted that artificial intelligence could increase the value of global trade in goods and services by 37 percent by 2040 if poorer countries catch up technologically.

The WTO published the "2025 World Trade Report".

The report stated that artificial intelligence programs contribute to increased efficiency in economies by making it easier for companies to comply with complex regulations, and therefore, the biggest impact of artificial intelligence on trade will be in the field of digital services.

The report stated that the goods required for artificial intelligence play an important role in global trade, and that the trade volume of these products was estimated to be 2.3 trillion dollars in 2023.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS A MONOPOLY OF A FEW COUNTRIES

The report stated that AI could increase the value of global trade in goods and services by 37 percent by 2040 if poor countries catch up technologically, and warned that without targeted investments and inclusive policies, AI could deepen existing divisions.

"The impacts of the development and deployment of artificial intelligence raise concerns that many workers and even entire economies could be left behind," the WTO report said.

The report highlighted the need for investment in education to prevent inequalities, noting that digital infrastructure and technology, as well as the skilled workforce, are currently concentrated in a few high-income countries.

In her assessment of the report, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala stated that governments must carefully manage the transition to artificial intelligence.

“AI has great potential to reduce trade costs and increase productivity. However, access to AI technologies and the capacity to participate in digital trade are still highly uneven,” Okonjo-Iweala said.

Okonjo-Iweala noted that the gap between rich and poor is widening both within countries and between them, and noted that without proactive policy measures and stronger international cooperation, artificial intelligence could exacerbate inequalities rather than reduce them.