$33T
Global trade hit a record $33 trillion in 2024.
Source: UN Trade and Development
April 30, 2025 10 mins
Trade in a Technology-Driven Future
As global trade faces a plethora of challenges, the integration of emerging technologies enables much-needed enhancements, while also opening the door to risks that require effective mitigation strategies.
Key Takeaways
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AI is a game-changing technology that will drive efficiencies and simplify how trade impacts the global economy.
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As technology further intersects with trade and enhances global supply chains, it also introduces potential costly risks and pitfalls.
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Proactive risk management strategies are essential to build resilience and protect against emerging AI threats.
Balancing Innovation and Risk in Global Trade
The intersecting paths of technology and trade are fueling innovation that will deliver much-needed efficiencies in global supply chains. However, with new technology comes significant threats that must be properly managed.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the game-changer, playing a vital role in helping move global trade through ever-complex regulatory challenges, trade laws, privacy regulations, and threats from cyber attacks and potential global trade wars.
But it’s no magic pill. AI is also a potential disruptive portal for emerging risks, from cyber threats to algorithmic biases. These pose challenges to supply chain management that must be properly addressed for AI’s full potential to be realized.
The Impact of AI on Trade
AI could increase global trade by almost 14 percentage points by 2040.1 It will enhance trade services and operations by automating processes, including invoicing customer support, optimizing transportation safety and efficiency, and strengthening supply chain resilience by predicting and mitigating disruptions.2
Many cargo vessels carry thousands of containers, which wind their way through multiple layers of the supply chain en route to their final destination. The use of AI helps predict where potential trade disruptions may occur on this journey.
“AI-capable technology is a significant discussion focus across the entire cargo transportation industry,” says Christopher Law, senior vice president in Aon’s United States National Marine practice. “There are also instances where AI is adopted to promote safety, prevent losses and improve trade efficiencies. One application is integrating an AI-based vetting process into ocean marine cargo container booking to identify potential mis-declared hazardous cargo red flags. This will help increase safety and mitigate container vessel losses, and the associated supply chain disruptions.”
2025 Client Trends
How AI and Workforce will Intersect
With Increased Technology Comes Additional Risks
The integration of advanced technologies like AI and blockchain in trade is streamlining supply chains, enhancing transparency and driving efficiency. However, their rapid adoption can also expose businesses to a variety of issues and risks.
Blockchain’s use in global trade is intended to provide real-time visibility and tracking of products throughout the supply chain. A series of blocks create a transparent and unchangeable record of transactions to help deliver secure transactions and on-demand insights. High costs, security concerns and scalability are among the issues that have slowed its progress.6
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Case Study: Schneider Electric's Supply Chain Control Tower
French company Schneider Electric has developed a software control tower that monitors the entire supplier network and re-routes orders to other companies or countries should issues occur.3 Digitalization of its supply chain allows Schneider to control, monitor and optimize every part of the process, enabling immediate responses to disruptions.4
Key benefits of a supply chain control tower application include:
- 20 percent cost reduction, due to minimized operational expenses and enhanced efficiencies
- 30 percent efficiency boost from a streamlined supply chain management and operations
- 50 percent faster issue resolution as potential issues are identified and mitigated5
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Case Study: Maersk and IBM's TradeLens Blockchain Platform
In 2018, shipping giant Maersk partnered with IBM to develop TradeLens, a blockchain-based platform to promote more efficient and secure global trade.
TradeLens’ goal was to bring together all global maritime logistics into a single system to achieve full traceability of cargo. However, widespread adoption never occurred and TradeLens ceased operations in 2023.
“From a protected ledger perspective it makes tons of sense,” says Lee Meyrick, co-lead for Global Specialties and CEO of the Global Marine Team. “However, I have yet to see blockchain used widely in international trade to the extent that we predicted mainly because you need one version of blockchain for it to work. When the Evergreen ship was stuck in the Suez Canal, there were 7,000 cargo owners on that vessel. It would have been difficult to get one-tenth of them onto the same system.”
Mitigating AI Risks in Global Trade
As AI and other technologies continue to evolve and converge with trade, businesses must understand emerging risks and create risk management strategies that mitigate what could be crippling exposures.
“If any company looks at artificial intelligence as a single issue, it probably isn’t understanding it correctly. AI has the ability to transform a whole host of existing risks just by providing a new lens for those risks to play out,” says Richard Waterer, chief executive officer, Global Risk Consulting at Aon. “It has the ability to impact trade in a number of different ways.”
Primary AI risks to global trade include:
- Cyber Threats: As more processes are enabled by AI-driven technology, vulnerabilities are increased.
- Data Privacy Issues: The privacy landscape is complex, with varying legislation in countries and sub-territories. With AI’s ample use of data, concerns arise around how that data is shared across borders.
- Regulatory Risks: How data is shared with subsidiaries or counterparties is important, especially when operating in one geography and working in another in our current fragmented regulatory landscape. The potential liability for non-compliance with local privacy laws is a significant issue for companies to consider.
- Intellectual Property Risks: Intellectual property theft related to AI algorithms can be complex. It is not only a risk to the value of an organization, but also a significant disruption to its ability to remain in business.
- Technology Risks: As AI developers sell and provide AI products and services, liability exposure in such sale or provision increases.
- Herding and Market Concentration: AI-based trading strategies could lead companies to take increasingly correlated positions and act in a similar way during stress, which could amplify shocks.7
Aon Capabilities
AI offers transformative potential, but like any innovation, it comes with risks — some of which are known and some emerging. We are proactively developing a risk framework that not only mitigates challenges but also ensures we can fully capitalize on AI’s benefits.
4 Risk Management Strategies to Build Resilience
- Harness AI to Navigate Emerging Cyber Risks: As AI continues to advance at an accelerated rate, businesses across industries are increasingly integrating AI-driven solutions into their operations. This introduces a range of new cyber risks.
The rise of AI has not only led to innovative applications but has also created opportunities for malicious actors to exploit vulnerabilities. Understanding and mitigating these risks and opportunities is crucial for organizations aiming to leverage AI's potential while ensuring robust security and governance frameworks are in place. - Reassess Cyber Insurance Coverage: AI is rapidly changing the risk landscape. Traditional risk profiles, heavily focused on tangible assets such as property and equipment, are no longer sufficient. The increasing value of intangible assets, including AI algorithms and data, necessitates a shift in how risks are assessed and managed. While the integration of AI into business operations has brought about unprecedented opportunities, it has also accelerated cyber risks.
Many organizations are still underprepared, with a significant protection gap evident in their current cyber insurance coverage. In fact, just 17 percent of global corporate information assets are currently covered by cyber insurance. Cyber insurance helps ensure businesses are safeguarding their operations and balance sheet. - Make Better Risk Decisions with Data and Analytics: Companies should use technology to better understand their risk exposures. By harnessing data analytics, predictive modeling and other advanced techniques, organizations can better understand their risk profiles and tailor insurance solutions to their specific needs. This data-driven approach enhances the ability to identify potential vulnerabilities and develop strategies that drive resilience within their economic ecospheres.
Aon's suite of Risk Analyzers provide a granular view of risk, helping risk managers make better decisions beyond traditional benchmarks to build supply chain and trade resilience. - Use Horizon Scanning to Understand Emerging Risks: Horizon scanning supports the process of building organizational resilience. It is one part of a suite of tools to help practitioners understand and prepare for future risks. Horizon scanning identifies emerging risks before they become threats. Its intention is to start with a broad external perspective, but then quickly narrow the focus to how latent driving market forces have the potential to impact the organization’s risk profile.
Aon's Capabilities
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Broking and Risk Transfer
Broking and Risk Transfer guides clients through their risk buying decisions, using global capabilities and analytical tools to optimize the balance of risk transfer and retention financing.
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Risk Analytics
Risk Analytics help clients identify emerging risks and new opportunities for mitigation, giving them the clarity and confidence to make the best risk decisions.
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Cyber Insurance
Cyber Insurance helps organizations by delivering better protection against the financial risks posed by cyber security threats such as ransomware and data breaches.
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Transportation and Logistics
Transportation and Logistics gives clients the confidence to navigate an ever-changing risk landscape through deep experience across all segments.
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Risk Analyzer Suite
Risk Analyzer Suite: Empowered decision-making in risk management and transfer for organizations managing complex supply chains.
Aon’s Thought Leaders
Start Chapter 3
How AI and Workforce will Intersect: Navigating Risks and Opportunities
Capabilities
Through our global expertise across two key areas of need ― Risk Capital and Human Capital ― our clients are better advised within, and across, their risk and people strategies.
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Capability Overview
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Capability Overview
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Industry Overview
Transportation and Logistics -
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Risk Analyzer Suite
1 Trading with intelligence. How AI shapes and is shaped by international trade, WTO
2 The Dawn of AI, DMCC
3 Trade isn’t all about Trump, Financial Times
4 The supply chain of tomorrow, Schneider Electric
5 Supply Chain Control Towers: Revolutionizing Cost, Operational, and Inventory Management, Neudesic
6 What are the Disadvantages of Using Blockchain in Supply Chain Management, Disruption Hub
7 ‘Market stability at risk’ as AI encourages traders to act as a herd, The Times
General Disclaimer
This document is not intended to address any specific situation or to provide legal, regulatory, financial, or other advice. While care has been taken in the production of this document, Aon does not warrant, represent or guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, completeness or fitness for any purpose of the document or any part of it and can accept no liability for any loss incurred in any way by any person who may rely on it. Any recipient shall be responsible for the use to which it puts this document. This document has been compiled using information available to us up to its date of publication and is subject to any qualifications made in the document.
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