Driving Innovation at the WCO Technology Conference: BORDERLINK in Action in Abu Dhabi

The University of Nottingham (UoN), INTA and Rapiscan from the BORDERLINK consortium participated in the World Custom Organisation Technology Conference from January 28–30 in the amazing city of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Rapiscan and INTA both had conference booths – with INTA‘s booth proudly displaying the BORDERLINK banner (see photo) – and UoN was there to better understand how tech firms are using data in new ways to support border management.

This flagship annual event of the WCO had over 1500 delegates from over 100 countries and was focused on the topic of “Customs Agility in a Complex World: Securing and Facilitating Trade through Innovation.”

Attending this event helped BORDERLINK’s aims by increasing awareness of the project and developing more links with border control organisations and the tech firms that help them in their critical roles.

The gigantic exhibition venue was packed with extremely hi-tech firms – from AI tech boffins to experts in the latest muon detection methods – plus groundbreaking panel discussions, keynote addresses and tech talks.

WCO Secretary General, Ian Saunders, closed the conference by saying: “In a complex and dynamic environment in which the challenges can loom large, the best path forward depends on a sense of shared responsibility and a willingness to work together to guide appropriate investments, the development and deployment of the right tools, and adjustments or approach as lessons are learned.  It entails planning that ensures that the technologies are employed by people who are prepared to take optimal advantage of the opportunities presented” (Source)

INTA’s booth was visited by WCO representative Dimitrios Politopoulos, the Project Manager for the Smart Customs Project in the Policy and Standards Directorate. The main topic of discussion was about training for non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) operators and x-ray image analysts – especially the topics of standardization, certification and harmonization. We invited Dimitrios and his team to join BORDERLINK Stakeholder Forum.

In a conference focused on smarter machines and faster algorithms, INTA highlighted a quieter truth: real breakthroughs in border security may come not from new technology, but from mastering human performance. Because in the end, even the most advanced scanner is only as powerful as the expert who truly understands what it is scanning.

UoN and INTA met European Commission representative Anais Manchon, Policy Officer in HOME.F2 Innovation and Security Research. We introduced her to the scope of the BORDERLINK innovations, the progress so far and our future activities plan.

One of the most noticeable things about the conference was that almost every organisation’s booth and every presentation mentioned AI. From HS code classifications, image recognition and risk analysis to writing blogs about conference visits – generative AI and other AI technologies are creating very practical benefits for customs and border management staff.

Looking at the use of AI in the conference and from our own AI Strategy research we can see two interesting implications for border management.

• First, the extremely stretched resources of border management organisations will be made to go much further with AI automation and more sophisticated AI-powered risk analysis.

• Second – and in a very symmetrical way – the role of the “human-in-the-loop” with the right domain knowledge, experience and subject area expertise becomes even more important ... as does high quality training from firms like INTA. (Please contact me if you are interested in developing your AI Strategy).

The INTA team with their decades of expertise in using X-rays noticed something else. None of the customs authorities we met at the exhibition have yet started to use methods like Staged Situations and Standardized Test Units when they prepare and train their X-ray image analysts. This is a key insight which promises real benefits for them if they incorporated this new approach.