The Trade Worldwide Information Network BOX 15 Hiroshima AI principles BOX 16The Trade Worldwide Information Network (TWIN) exemplifies values-driven trade governance. By providing open-source infrastructure that securely digitizes essential trade documents using blockchain technology, it creates a level playing field for countries around the world globally to digitize their trade practices. The global cooperation required to create TWIN, particularly the data sharing between the public and private sectors, underscores the importance of effective governance and collaboration in implementing and advancing trade technologies. Crucially, TWIN’s open infrastructure also enables the exchange of trade-related services, from digital payments to certification and insurance, signalling how thoughtful technology design can expand trust not only in goods trade but in the fast- growing trade of services. Source: TWIN. The Hiroshima Process International Guiding Principles for Organizations Developing Advanced AI Systems13 aims to promote safe, secure and trustworthy AI worldwide and provides guidance for organizations developing and using the most advanced AI systems. In line with these principles, the World Economic Forum’s AI Governance Alliance launched the Hiroshima Process International Code of Conduct for Organizations Developing Advanced AI Systems.14 This code of conduct is supported by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Hiroshima AI Process Reporting Framework and provides a global, voluntary mechanism that enables organizations to report how they are applying the Hiroshima principles in practice, increasing transparency, accountability and comparability worldwide. In doing so, these efforts ensure that the technology underpinning global systems, such as international trade, serves all of humanity, enhancing their credibility and, in turn, their strength and resilience.In the absence of ethical design, technological progress risks deepening inequality and eroding global confidence: algorithmic decision-making that neglects inclusion and fairness can reinforce existing trade imbalances, resulting in a more fragmented trade ecosystem where flows are concentrated into “trade islands”, leaving smaller economies and vulnerable communities behind – ultimately reducing trade growth.12 As Manuela Travaglianti, Project Lead of the Ethics Toolkit at the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society of Stanford University, notes, “prioritizing efficiency over ethical sourcing undermines community well-being and exposes trade partners to reputational or geopolitical risks. It also limits transparency in decision-making, reducing buy-in and collaboration.” Ethical design ultimately determines whether technology strengthens or weakens trust between trade partners, and this highlights a shift: addressing ethical implications is a competitive advantage for the resilience of technology in the long run. With increased trust, technologies become more adoptable and interoperable. The more actors adhere to ethical standards, the easier it becomes to achieve uniform enforcement and interoperability, thus demonstrating the importance of ethics in strengthening the technical layer of the trade stack. Building on such trust, governments can unlock new models of collaboration with the private sector, reduce systemic inefficiencies and ensure that trade systems remain both inclusive and resilient, benefiting societies at large. In the context of global supply chains, this trust enables greater transparency, coordination and adaptability across borders, ultimately cultivating technological systems that are not only more efficient but also better equipped to withstand and recover from disruptions.3.6 Ethics Addressing ethical implications is a competitive advantage for the resilience of technology in the long run. The TradeTech Paradox: Connectivity Amid Fragmentation 29

The TradeTech Paradox Connectivity Amid Fragmentation 2026