Use of Artificial Intelligence in Trade Facilitation

Artificial intelligence (AI) is shifting global value chains and international trade pattern. Artificial intelligence (AI) has a transformative effect on international trade. Specific applications in multiple areas such as analytics and cognitive services are diminishing trade barriers.

AI undoubtedly will underpin productivity growth, economic growth and create new opportunities in facilitating trade

The purpose of this project is to look at AI’s role in trade facilitation in the context of UN/CEFACT’s mandates and create whitepapers that focus on how AI can be used to facilitate trade processes and key issues that need to be looked into while leveraging AI capabilities in collecting, processing, analyzing data and extracting inferences from the data

Potentially, this work could also provide guidance to data providers, application developers and technology adopters

The project scope is to define and create white papers on the best practices in implementing secure data flow during cross border trade with a view to examining:
•	How AI technology could be used to facilitate trade and related processes in international supply chain including study of areas such as data privacy, AI based trade policies, use of AI in e-Commerce and payments
•	How existing UN/CEFACT deliverables could be used in AI applications
•	Possible changes to existing UN/CEFACT deliverables, or new deliverables, that could be considered in order to support AI trade facilitation applications

All of the above will be examined from the perspective of UN/CEFACT’s mandates in order to provide input to the Bureau, Programme Development Areas and Domains on
1)	Possible future work and a possible common approach
2)	Application developers as a potential new user group for UN/CEFACT standards 

Deliverable 1:	A white paper on technical aspects of AI and its relation to UN/CEFACT deliverables
Deliverable 2:	A business case/process oriented whitepaper on how AI technology could be used to facilitate cross border paperless trade 

The exit criteria for Deliverable 1: Whitepaper ready for publication
The exit criteria for Deliverable 2: Whitepaper ready for publication 

Membership is open to UN/CEFACT experts with broad knowledge in the area of: Artificial Intelligence technology and/or trade facilitation and related business processes

In addition, Heads of Delegations may invite technical experts from their constituency to participate in the work. Experts are expected to contribute to the work based solely on their expertise and to comply with the UN/CEFACT Code of Conduct and Ethics and the policy on Intellectual Property Rights.

The geographical focus of the project is global.

Initial contributions include existing descriptions and technical specifications for the UN/CEFACT: 
•	AGAT document “Artificial Intelligence Demystified" (ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2021/19)
•	Core Components Library (CCL); 
•	Business Requirement Specifications (BRSs), 
•	Requirement Specification Mappings (RSMs) and 
•	Reference Data Models (RDMs) as well as 
•	already published material on AI technology and implementations, 
•	Blockchain work undertaken by UN/CEFACT

Participants in the project shall provide resources for their own participation. The existence and functioning of the project shall not require any additional resources from the UNECE secretariat. The project will be prepared in between Forums, in face-to-face meetings, if feasible, and using conference call facilities.