Page 47 - Azerbaijan State University of Economics

Li Ting: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics on International Trade: A Study
on the Reshaping of the Global Value Chain and the Transformation of Trade Patterns

Second, industrial clusters are increasingly recognized as strategic drivers in global
value chains, facilitating regional supply chain integration, innovation, and
cooperation in response to global economic and societal challenges (Haus-Reve &
Gilsing, 2024). The application of smart technologies enables companies to respond
more flexibly to shifting market demands, leading them to prefer locating supply
chains closer to consumer markets. The rise of regional supply chains shortens the
time-to-market for products, reduces logistics costs, and lowers the risk of supply
chain disruptions. For instance, following the COVID-19 pandemic, many
multinational corporations prioritized supply chain resilience by concentrating
operations closer to major markets—a trend particularly pronounced in North America,
Europe, and East Asia.

Third, AI-driven “nearshoring” and “reshoring” practices are gaining traction. AI and
robotics enable companies to reestablish automated production facilities domestically
in developed nations. This “relocalization” trend reduces time delays and uncertainties
caused by international shipping in supply chains, further propelling the shift in global
trade patterns from globalization toward localization. For instance, Adidas returned
production to Germany by deploying its Speedfactory smart manufacturing facilities,
successfully achieving rapid market response with customized products and
significantly enhancing supply chain efficiency.

In summary, the adoption of digital and automation technologies, including AI and
robotics, is closely associated with the regionalization of global value chains, as
production networks shift toward more localized and proximity-based configurations
in response to technological change (Giunta, Marvasi & Sforza, 2025). This
transformation not only enhances production efficiency and supply chain resilience
but also profoundly reshapes global industry layouts and trade flow directions.
Moving forward, businesses and governments must proactively adjust strategies and
policies to address both the opportunities and challenges presented by this new trade
paradigm.

The following is a collection of statistics on the global trade structure in 2010 and
2023, and a comparative analysis of the changes in the global trade structure:

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