AIFOD and WTO Partner on Trade, TRIPS, and Global AI Governance

The AI for Developing Countries Forum (AIFOD), which publishes this website, held a high-level working session in Geneva with the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 1 June 2026 to expand cooperation on trade and artificial intelligence. The meeting brought together AIFOD Co-Founder and Board Director Tianze Zhang and WTO Counsellor Josefita Pardo de Leon to examine the role of international trade instruments in global technology governance.

Multilateral Cooperation and TRIPS

A primary focus of the talks was how the WTO’s TRIPS Agreement can address pressing challenges stemming from AI systems. Discussions highlighted questions surrounding intellectual property rights for training data and model outputs, mechanisms for technology transfer to developing economies, and maintaining an equilibrium between research incentives and equitable access. AIFOD noted that existing multilateral frameworks provide practical foundations for emerging policy questions without requiring authorities to construct regulatory architecture entirely from scratch.

Preparations for Geneva Summit 2026

Building on earlier collaboration—including a keynote address from then-Deputy Director-General Johanna Hill at the 2025 event—AIFOD formally invited the WTO to designate a senior keynote speaker for the Geneva Summit 2026, which was scheduled for August at the Palais des Nations, bringing together international delegates, policymakers, scholars, and industry representatives.

Under proposed plans, the WTO would act as anchor partner for a dedicated session provisionally titled Trade, TRIPS, and AI: How Multilateral Instruments Can Shape the Global AI Order. Both organisations agreed to hold a follow-up working meeting in the following weeks to scope the joint session and explore further cooperation.