World Trade Report 2025

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to lead to a new era of growth. By transforming how goods and services are produced, exchanged and consumed, AI can bring about substantial changes in the global economy. Yet the future trajectory of AI remains uncertain, raising critical questions about trade and inclusive growth. The World Trade Report 2025 explores the complex and fast-evolving relationship between AI and international trade and how this relationship can shape inclusive growth. AI offers new opportunities to reduce trade costs, boost productivity and expand access to global markets. In addition, trade can help to render AI more accessible by spreading knowledge, fostering innovation and promoting participation in AI value chains. However, unequal access across the world to digital infrastructure, appropriate skills and capabilities could increase the digital divide. Also, the impact of AI on the labour market presents additional challenges. Whether AI-enabled trade translates into broad-based, inclusive growth will depend on the design and implementation of trade and trade-related policies. WTO rules on trade in goods, services, data, intellectual property and public procurement can shape the availability, affordability and diffusion of AI. Complementary policies regulating competition, data infrastructure, energy, education and government support can also help to determine whether and how economies benefit from AI-enabled trade. The WTO can play a central role in ensuring that AI supports more inclusive trade-led growth by administering WTO rules, by fostering dialogue, transparency and capacity-building, and by deepening collaboration on AI and digital trade with other international organizations.