WTO: Big Data and Big Problems

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Brandon Scarlett (he/him) is a sophomore from St. Catherine, Jamaica studying Financial and International Economics. This is my second year in the Emory International Relations Association and fourth year in total of Model UN. I’ve previously been a Chair at our Collegiate Conference MUNE XI,  USG of Business for MUNE XII, Co-Chair at our high school conference ENMUNC III and Director General of ENMUNC IV. Outside of Model UN I am a Business Analyst at Emory Consult your Community, and a Student Director with Emory’s Graduation Generation. When I am not in an existential crisis over my schedule I enjoy cooking, historical trivia and 1960’s Jazz music.

The fourth Industrial revolution is upon us with digital trade and artificial intelligence leading the way. Ecommerce has redefined the way we access goods and services across borders, while artificial intelligence challenges our conception of the labor force and labor productivity. The data networks powering these transitions bring new concerns for privacy and civil liberties. Longstanding challenges such as sustainability, and protectionism still require the WTOs attention, but the agency has been criticized for ineffectiveness, and sluggish adaptation preventing progress on these fronts. This sitting of the WTO is called upon to define the way we conduct international trade in the technology age while reforming the WTO to make it fit for purpose in a changing global economy.