AI reshapes digital trade at Hangzhou expo

Artificial intelligence (AI) is moving beyond the role of a technology on display. At the fifth Global Digital Trade Expo (GDTE) in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, AI is emerging as a product, a service and part of the infrastructure behind digital trade.

Held from September 23 to 27 under the theme "Meet the AI Future at GDTE," the expo features more than 2,000 exhibitors across 170,000 square meters. Its AI section showcases data services, model applications, embodied intelligence and smart terminals, while exploring cross-border models such as model-as-a-service.

The shift is visible in the products and services on display. AI is being integrated into smart devices, robots and office tools, as well as enterprise platforms that connect data, computing power, models and applications. The emphasis is increasingly on turning AI capabilities into products and services that can be used in real business settings.

AI is also entering the process of taking businesses global. At the expo, AI tools are being used for tasks including creating product images, responding to overseas inquiries and producing marketing videos. In cross-border e-commerce, such tools can bring functions that once required separate design, translation and operations teams into integrated digital workflows.

This is changing what companies can trade across borders: not only physical goods, but also software and digital services that help businesses find customers, market products and manage transactions. The expo's Silk Road e-commerce section is showcasing nearly 100 AI applications covering manufacturing, cross-border transactions and related services.

The infrastructure behind these applications is also becoming part of the trade story. For the first time, the expo has set up a dedicated zone that presents the AI chain from computing infrastructure and model services to application scenarios. The expo describes it as a way to explore how AI capabilities can be connected with overseas markets.

The trend comes amid rapid growth in digital trade. A report released at the expo says global digital trade exports reached $7.75 trillion in 2025, up 7.1% year on year. Digitally delivered trade accounted for $5.26 trillion, or 67.9% of the total, with cloud infrastructure and AI services among the leading growth drivers. China's digitally deliverable service trade grew at an average annual rate of 11.2% from 2016 to 2025.

The Hangzhou expo offers a snapshot of that shift: AI is becoming not just a tool for digital trade, but part of what is traded and how it reaches global markets.