On September 17th, at the headquarters of the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, participants listened to the press conference report of the "2025 World Trade Report". Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lian Yi

Geneva, September 17 (Xinhua) -- The World Trade Organization released its "2025 World Trade Report" on the 17th, predicting that with the right policy support, the application of artificial intelligence is expected to drive global trade growth of nearly 40% by 2040.

  On September 17th, at the headquarters of the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, the Director General of the World Trade Organization, Ivica, gave a speech at the launch of the 2025 World Trade Report. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lian Yi

The report shows that by 2040, artificial intelligence is expected to significantly drive global trade and gross domestic product (GDP) growth. Depending on differences in policy and technological progress, global trade volume is expected to increase by 34% to 37% in different scenarios, while global GDP is expected to grow by 12% to 13%.

  On September 17th, at the headquarters of the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, the Director General of the World Trade Organization, Ivica, gave a speech at the launch of the 2025 World Trade Report. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lian Yi

In the preface of the report, WTO Director General Ivira pointed out that artificial intelligence has enormous potential in reducing trade costs and improving productivity. However, the ability of economies to access AI technology and participate in digital trade is still highly uneven.

The report emphasizes that trade can help economies acquire artificial intelligence and drive the investment needed for its development, promote innovation dissemination, and open up new development paths. But to unleash this potential, all parties must consciously take action, including bridging the digital divide and promoting regulatory consistency.

  This is an outdoor shot of the World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on September 17th. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lian Yi

The report also pointed out that the number of restrictive measures implemented on artificial intelligence related goods has surged from 130 in 2012 to nearly 500 in 2024, and all parties should formulate open and predictable trade policies.

The report believes that strengthening international cooperation, especially in the field of artificial intelligence and trade, will help economies to participate more widely in promoting the development of artificial intelligence. The World Trade Organization can play a central role in ensuring that artificial intelligence supports inclusive trade led growth.