Page 51 - 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

not only affected bilateral trade between China and the United States, but also posed
a challenge to the security and stability of the global technology supply chain.

Data Sovereignty and Strengthening of Digital Barriers. Data has become a new
production factor and trade asset, and countries are rapidly paying more attention to "data
sovereignty". The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) launched by the European
Union, China's data outbound review mechanism, and the digital platform regulatory
rules of the United States all reflect the tough stance of various countries in protecting
their own data resources and network security. The "digital barriers" formed by this are
restricting cross-border data flows and increasing the uncertainty of global digital trade.

Geopoliticization of Standard Setting. Technical standards in fields such as AI,
autonomous driving, and intelligent manufacturing are becoming a new frontier of
competition between countries. Countries that have the right to set standards will have
a first-mover advantage in the international market, while countries that lack the right
to speak may be excluded from the new generation of global market access. Taking the
European Union as an example, it has gradually established a future-oriented trade rules
system through new standards such as green trade, carbon tariffs and digital taxes.

The Necessity of Policy Response and Global Coordination. In the face of new
barriers, countries need to strengthen AI industry policies, encourage participation in
international standard setting and technical cooperation, and promote fair and
transparent global technology and data governance under a multilateral framework,
such as WTO e-commerce issues and OECD digital tax negotiations. The trade
changes caused by AI are not only technical issues, but also about the reconstruction
of rules. In the future, international competition will focus on standards, data and
institutional systems, and policy coordination and international cooperation will
become the key to winning the initiative in the new trade pattern.

4 PROSPECTS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ROBOTICS FOR
THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF GLOBAL TRADE
4.1 Evolutionary Trends of Global Trade Structure
Artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are reshaping the fundamental landscape of global
trade. Their far-reaching impact extends beyond transforming production methods,
manifesting in the restructuring of global value chains, adjustments to industrial layouts,
and profound evolution in trade organization models. Traditional globalization
emphasized division of labor efficiency and cost minimization, primarily relying on low-
cost labor, resource allocation, and cross-border manufacturing networks. In this new
phase of widespread AI adoption, manufacturing activities are witnessing the intertwined
evolution of two trends: “deglobalization” and “new globalization.”

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