WIC Digital & AI Academy launches AI-driven digital trade capacity-building program

The World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital & AI Academy launched the Capacity Building Program on AI-Driven Digital Trade on July 21 in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province. The program is a key event of the 2026 WIC Digital Silk Road Development Forum.

The program brings together government officials, business executives and industry professionals, particularly from developing countries, to exchange ideas on AI-driven digital trade, cross-border data governance and the transformation of cross-border e-commerce.

Nearly 50 participants from more than 20 countries and regions attended the program.

Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the WIC and dean of the WIC Digital & AI Academy, delivered the opening address.

Ren said the Digital Silk Road continues to advance through smart ports, digital supply chains and cross-border e-commerce. By combining its commercial heritage with digital innovation, it provides both historical depth and practical relevance for the program.

Ren noted that AI is transforming global trade by reshaping business models and trade practices. It helps reduce trade barriers and transaction costs while lowering the threshold for small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in global trade.

At the same time, he said, the global digital and AI divide remains significant. Many developing economies continue to face multiple challenges, including a lack of localized digital trade solutions, the high cost of digital transformation and inadequate mechanisms for cross-border data compliance.

If these gaps continue to widen, they will undermine the inclusive benefits of digital trade and hinder coordinated, sustainable global economic development, Ren said. He stressed that no country can tackle these challenges alone, adding that only through openness, inclusiveness, dialogue on an equal footing and practical cooperation can the benefits of technology be shared by all.

Ren outlined the three key priorities for the WIC as an international organization committed to promoting extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits in global internet governance.

First, the WIC seeks to build platforms for dialogue and consultation, enabling Global South countries to play a greater role in shaping international digital trade rules. Second, it promotes the sharing of open-source technologies to lower barriers to technological innovation for developing countries. Third, it advances global capacity building by providing practical experience in digital development.

As of June, the WIC Digital & AI Academy had trained more than 500 professionals from 89 countries and regions.

Ren encouraged program participants to apply what they learned to their own national contexts, foster lasting international cooperation, and move beyond adapting to digital transformation to actively shaping it, contributing their experience and insights to global digital trade governance.

The WIC Digital & AI Academy (WICDA) serves as the WIC’s platform for capacity-building cooperation and exchange. It focuses on digital and AI capacity building worldwide, particularly in developing countries. WICDA aims to cultivate digital and AI talent, bridge the digital and AI divide, and ensure that all countries benefit from inclusive development.

Click the "read more" button at the end of article to learn more