UAE to use AI to flag trade barriers for exporters, official says

16/10/2026 12:45 AST

The UAE is developing an artificial intelligence-enabled system that would flag when a product is likely to face barriers in a given market, its Foreign Trade Undersecretary Fahad Al-Gergawi has said.

Speaking to Arab News, Al-Gergawi said the technology would within minutes suggest alternative markets and companies that could step in.

He did not give a launch date or say how the system would be made available to businesses.

The system is part of the UAE's wider push into AI, which Al-Gergawi described as central to the country's development plans.

The UAE plans to keep expanding its bilateral trade agreements despite rising global tariffs, and to use AI to help exporters respond faster when markets close.

"Waiting is not an option here," he said.

Built for a tariff era
Al-Gergawi, appointed undersecretary by federal decree in November 2025, said the country's Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements were shaped partly by signs that trade wars were coming.

"Do we need to wait?" he said, describing the choice the UAE faced five years ago. It chose to negotiate directly with individual countries rather than rely on wider global talks.

India signed first, and Al-Gergawi said trade between the two countries has risen about 37 percent since the agreement, to more than $106 billion.

Official figures show UAE non-oil foreign trade reached about 3.8 trillion dirhams ($1.03 trillion) in 2025, up 27 percent on the previous year. That leaves the country around 5 percent short of its 4 trillion dirham target for 2031, six years early.

Al Gergawi said the agreements are one factor among several. "It's an important factor to us, but it's not the only solution," he said, also citing the UAE's ports and air cargo network.

SMEs benefit the most
He said smaller businesses gain the most. Under the agreements, 93 to 95 percent of goods move between partner countries without customs duties. For a small exporter, he said, that can mean savings of 15 to 20 percent.

The ministry also hopes the deals will attract foreign manufacturers that want to produce in the UAE and export to partner markets.

Choosing partners
The strategy depends on finding willing partners while several large economies are moving toward protectionism. Al Gergawi said the UAE focuses on "like-minded" countries that favor open markets.

He argued that geopolitical shifts would not weaken the UAE's role as a trade hub, and said the country would keep adding markets and building tools to reach them.

Arab News