Trade & Tech Podcast by Gaia Dynamics

Gaia Dynamics

The Trade & Tech Podcast, presented by Gaia Dynamics, explores how the world moves goods and the rules shaping that movement. Each month, Tom Gould and Emil Stefanutti will explore how companies are navigating tariffs, export controls, and global compliance challenges, as well as the impact that modern technology has on these processes. Industry leaders will share firsthand how they’re adapting and what’s next for global commerce. From policy shifts to the impact of AI on the global trade industry, this is your guide to staying ahead in a rapidly evolving trade landscape.

Episodes

  1. Sep 18

    Enforcement First: CBP Importer Verification and Broker Due Diligence

    10,000 importer verification notices, 88% failed to respond. Mark Tallo of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg on what CBP told the trade at the 2026 summit, and what importers and brokers have to do now. Emil Stefanutti and Tom Gould are joined by Mark Tallo, Managing Partner at Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, fresh from the 2026 CBP Trade and Cargo Security Summit in Dallas. In this episode: Why "importing is a privilege, not a right" changes what CBP expects from every importerWhat the 10,000 verification notices, 9,000 voided numbers and 800 stolen identities say about the importer of record databaseThe 5106 file, and why an old address or a name mismatch can now stop you importingWhat broker due diligence means beyond a power of attorney, and whether the standard changes with broker sizeThe 64-question advance notice on supply chain visibility, and why the trade has to answer itHow far upstream CBP really wants to see, and why the priority enforcement areas set the depthWhy the 30-day response window no longer comes with extensionsWhether importers should hold the documents their exporters filed abroad, and why only one Incoterm gives them accessHow CBP already uses AI: correcting missing Section 301 duties on every entry before paying CAPE refundsACE as the data layer, the APIs CBP is starting to build, and what changes a year from now0:00 Why the 2026 CBP summit felt different 1:40 Meet Mark Tallo (Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg) 2:29 Three days in Dallas, one message: importing is a privilege 6:06 "What does my company get out of it?" CBP: you get to import 11:27 Importer identity: 10,000 notices, 88% failed to verify 13:59 The 5106 file, and Tom's worry about nitpicky mismatches 16:58 Brokers as the frontline: what due diligence now requires 19:32 Two camps of brokers, and the bank account standard 25:02 The 64-question notice on supply chain visibility 29:49 How far upstream does CBP really want to see? 34:26 30 days, and no more extensions 35:00 Foreign export documents: should importers hold what the exporter filed? 39:51 AI at CBP: from reactive to predictive 45:40 Humans in the loop: does CBP hold itself to the same standard? 47:10 Forced labour, transshipment, AD/CVD: is a supplier certification enough? 49:21 ACE as the data layer, and its punch card pipelines 55:25 One year from now: what will be different Hosted by Emil Stefanutti and Tom Gould of Gaia Dynamics.

  2. Jul 24

    3 New Tariffs in 5 Days: Section 338, 301, and the End of 122

    Three tariff announcements in five days, under three different laws. Tom Gould breaks down Canada's Section 338 tariffs, Brazil's Section 301 tariff, and the forced labour framework that replaced Section 122.   In this episode: - Why Section 122 expired on 24 July and what replaced it overnight - Canada's three Section 338 proclamations on dairy, alcohol and autos, and the 30-day delay written into a 1930 law - Whether USMCA still protects Canadian goods - Brazil's Section 301 tariff, already in effect, and how to read the 1,200 exempted tariff lines - Which shipments qualify for in-transit relief, and why it only applies to ocean freight - The four rate buckets in the new Section 301 forced labour framework, covering 60 economies - How Section 301, Section 232 and MFN duties stack, and the ordering question CBP has not answered - Why importers filing IEEPA refund claims in CAPE are getting duty bills back - A Monday morning checklist for trade, sourcing and procurement teams   0:00 Why we recorded this one without a guest 1:26 What made this week so confusing 2:50 Canada: the 50% Section 338 tariffs 4:00 Dairy, alcohol, autos, and how hockey equipment got on the list 5:28 Negotiating tactic or real deadline? 6:34 Does USMCA still protect Canadian goods? 7:38 The first thing Canadian importers should review 9:32 Brazil: same result, different law, already in effect 12:26 In-transit relief: which shipments actually qualify 13:56 Section 122 expires, Section 301 forced labour takes over 15:26 The four rate buckets, country by country 18:48 Exclusions and stacking: what applies on top of what 21:38 Section 122 refunds and protecting your rights 23:22 Enforcement is back, and CBP is using AI to find errors 27:32 Your Monday morning checklist

  3. Jul 6

    Before Kickoff: ATA Carnets and the Trade Behind the FIFA World Cup

    48 teams, 16 cities, three countries, 104 matches. Every ball, uniform and camera had to clear customs first. How ATA carnets made the 2026 World Cup possible.   Emil Stefanutti and Tom Gould are joined by Amanda Barlow, VP of Risk Management and Business Affairs at The Rock-It Company, FIFA's official logistics partner, and Kelli Milianti, ATA Carnet Service Manager at Roanoke Trade.   In this episode: - What an ATA carnet is, and what it costs you to move equipment without one - Why the US, Canada and Mexico still run carnets on paper in a cardboard folder - The mistakes that turn into carnet claims: missing serial numbers, unstamped exits, swapped equipment - Turning around hundreds of carnets in hours for broadcasters who do not know which match they are covering - What happens when the origin country is not part of the carnet system - Which agencies beyond CBP get involved, from FDA to FMCSA to USDA - What happens to equipment, giveaways and merchandise after the tournament ends - The WCO deadline for fully digital carnets, and what it means for LA 2028 - Where AI is genuinely useful in time-critical logistics, and where it is not   0:00 Why a World Cup episode on a trade podcast 1:36 Meet Amanda Barlow and Kelli Milianti 4:22 The scale: three countries, 16 cities, 48 teams, 104 matches 6:30 Three host countries, three sets of border rules 7:12 "It is literally 104 Super Bowls" 9:56 Two years of planning, and a Club Cup dry run 12:04 How sports logistics differs from commercial freight 14:00 ATA carnets explained: a passport for your goods 15:56 The mistakes that turn into carnet claims 16:54 Still a paper document in a cardboard folder 19:20 Hundreds of carnets for broadcasters, turned around in hours 20:32 The digital carnet that almost stranded a crew in Boston 27:26 Every agency involved: CBP, FDA, DOT, FMCSA, USDA 32:00 Equipment vs merchandise: what actually gets duties 34:30 What it will take for the US to accept digital carnets 37:56 Do carnets need HTS classification? 40:30 Where AI helps in freight, and where it does not

  4. May 7

    The Refund Trap: CAPE Filings, Liquidation, and Non-IEEPA Risk

    A third of 30,000 entries showed discrepancies. Rennie Alston and Michael Roll on what CBP sees when you file a CAPE refund claim, and Tom Gould on why the refund and the audit cannot be separated. Emil Stefanutti and Tom Gould are joined by Rennie Alston, CEO of American River Group and The Alston Group, and Michael Roll, Partner at Roll & Harris LLP. In this episode: What you are actually swearing to when you check the attestation box on a CAPE filingWhy CBP has to liquidate an entry before it can refund anything, and why liquidation is finalThe validations CBP and broker software stopped running in 2025, and the errors that followedWhy a value entered on the wrong line can get a whole CAPE claim rejectedWhether CBP will offset or penalize if you claimed IEEPA correctly but underpaid Section 232 or 301Why reasonable care has required reviewing your broker's work since 1993Why filing with known entry problems is the biggest risk, and why value and origin are the hot-button issuesThe worst case for companies that filed without checking their dataHow to bucket your entries so the clean ones go first 0:00 IEEPA refunds, CAPE, and the risk behind the recovery 1:06 Meet Rennie Alston and Michael Roll 2:21 What changed: the rush to be first in line for a refund 5:46 The attestation box: what you swear to when you file 8:17 Why 2025 entry data went unchecked 11:25 Value on the wrong line, and a rejected CAPE claim 13:35 30,000 entries reviewed, a third with discrepancies 16:38 Reasonable care since 1993: reviewing your broker is required 18:59 Poke the bear? Filing now vs auditing first 22:29 Why the refund and the audit cannot be separated 27:11 Why a 100% audit is now possible 30:32 What escalates fastest: known problems, value and origin 32:35 When things go wrong: the duty to correct 35:43 Worst case, and who gets eaten by the bear 38:37 Bear spray: what ACE shows after you file 43:12 How to bucket your entries before you file Hosted by Emil Stefanutti and Tom Gould of Gaia Dynamics.

  5. Apr 23

    Rebuilding Global Trade: AI, Customs Business and Duty Drawback

    About 500,000 US importers and exporters, and fewer than one in ten importers has a trade compliance team. Caspian's Justin Sherlock on AI in customs, tariff refunds, and what the CBP ruling on customs business means for brokers. Emil Stefanutti and Tom Gould are joined by Justin Sherlock, co-founder and CEO of Caspian, a licensed customs broker and former head of Flexport Capital. In this episode: How a finance career and a Flexport acquisition in Canada led Justin into customsWhy the customs broker is becoming an adviser rather than a data entry clerkWhat Caspian does with messy ERP exports, forwarder spreadsheets and trade documentsWhy the same product looks different to the industry, the broker and customsSelling to buyers who arrive with answers from off-the-shelf AIWhat the CBP ruling says about who is allowed to do customs businessWhy the risk of doing nothing is now bigger than the risk of new technologyThe communication problem in trade, and the 80-character message set behind ACEJustin's one piece of advice: store and centralize your own trade documents 0:00 A new track: talking to founders building trade tech 1:25 Meet Justin Sherlock (Caspian) 3:06 From finance to building in trade 8:04 Tom on NAFTA and the rules nobody understood 9:51 From bicycles and clipboards to data entry clerks 11:15 The broker as adviser, and when tariffs outgrow taxes 13:11 What Caspian does, and 500,000 importers without trade teams 23:07 Is a t-shirt a t-shirt? Not to customs 25:34 Selling to buyers who already asked ChatGPT 31:33 From copilot to autopilot, and the CBP ruling 35:40 The offshore labor and OCR rulings CBP has not enforced yet 40:05 The bigger risk is doing nothing 41:38 ERPs that cannot store more than a few classifications 44:18 What is fundamentally hard to automate? 46:54 Trade has no Plaid: the communication problem 49:39 Rapid fire: misconception, trend, and advice Hosted by Emil Stefanutti and Tom Gould of Gaia Dynamics.

  6. Feb 19

    A Ruling With Ripple Effects: The Supreme Court IEEPA Tariff Case

    Released 19 February 2026, the day before the Supreme Court struck down the IEEPA tariffs 6-3. What the Court was asked to decide, and the refund paths importers were lining up before the ruling. Emil Stefanutti and Tom Gould are joined by Cameron Roberts, Managing Partner at Roberts & Kehagiaras LLP and a licensed customs broker since 1989. In this episode: What the Supreme Court was actually asked to decide, and why "regulate" is the key wordThe two tariff buckets: fentanyl tariffs and reciprocal tariffsWhy this is a separation of powers case, and what Congress would need to take the power backThe government's best argument: a foreign policy tool, not a revenue measureThree scenarios, and why a partial ruling would bring more lawsuitsThe protest path: liquidation around 10 months after release, then 180 days to fileWhy Costco and others also sued at the Court of International Trade, and the unclear two-year clockThe 40% transshipment penalty, and the vessel arrest risk behind itWhy Tom warned refunds would not flow back quickly or easily 0:00 Waiting on the Supreme Court: why this episode, why now 0:50 Meet Cameron Roberts (Roberts & Kehagiaras) 3:11 What was the Supreme Court asked to decide? 4:19 Two buckets: fentanyl tariffs and reciprocal tariffs 6:51 Why this is a separation of powers case 10:55 The government's best case for the IEEPA tariffs 12:59 Foreign policy tool, or taxation by another name? 15:06 Is there a middle path for the Court? 18:59 Three scenarios: upheld, struck down, or partial 21:55 If the tariffs are struck down, is the impact immediate? 25:50 What companies should do before the ruling 27:42 The protest path: 10 to 16 months from release 28:43 The Court of International Trade path, and why Costco sued 30:59 What you can control, and the 40% transshipment penalty 34:35 Vessel arrest, demurrage, and cargo owner exposure 39:23 Lightning round: ignore the noise, spread the risk UPDATE: the Court ruled on 20 February 2026. Section 301, Section 232 and AD/CVD duties were not affected, and a temporary Section 122 tariff followed on 24 February. Hosted by Emil Stefanutti and Tom Gould of Gaia Dynamics.

  7. Jan 29

    Can AI Classify Like a Broker? HTS Codes and Reasonable Care

    Gaia scored 100% on the customs broker exam. Gemini 63%, ChatGPT 38%, Claude 25%. Why does general AI fail at classification? Emil Stefanutti and Tom Gould are joined by Carlos Alzate, Chief Technology Officer at Gaia Dynamics, formerly CTO at AI Fund and a research scientist at IBM Research. In this episode: What actually happens when a general model answers a classification questionWhy none of the general models would have passed the customs broker examHow Tom classifies a novel product, and why it used to take an hour at minimumWhat reasonable care means when AI helps gather the evidenceWhere AI excels today, and why full ten-digit accuracy is still hardWhat signals CBP is sending about AI, and why it already uses AI itselfWhether to start with a standalone tool or integrate with your ERPThe security checks to run on any AI vendor, including prompt injectionTom's advice for anyone who has not started: pick something and start 0:00 Welcome back: what 2026 looks like so far 1:06 Meet Carlos Alzate (Gaia CTO, ex-AI Fund and IBM Research) 4:20 What actually happens when you ask ChatGPT a question 7:31 The broker exam: Gaia 100%, Gemini 63%, ChatGPT 38%, Claude 25% 9:14 Why specialised tools beat general models 14:34 How Tom classifies a novel product, step by step 17:17 How AI builds the reasonable care record 18:57 Where AI excels: 18,000 codes narrowed to 40 24:23 Why full ten-digit accuracy is still hard 27:32 What signals is CBP sending about AI? 32:43 AI as a junior analyst you still review 33:24 Standalone tool or ERP integration? 37:22 When not using AI stops being reasonable care 42:22 Security: data residency, isolation, audit trails, prompt injection 46:08 The risk of adopting AI too slowly 48:41 What's next: multimodal, reasoning, and agents 52:09 Tom's advice: pick something and start Hosted by Emil Stefanutti and Tom Gould of Gaia Dynamics.

  8. 12/10/2025

    From Tariff Storms to AI Breakthroughs: 2025 Recap and 2026 Outlook

    2025 brought 31 versions of the tariff schedule and an average US tariff of 18.6%. Two customs veterans on what broke, and what they expected for 2026. Emil Stefanutti and Tom Gould are joined by Bojan Strbanovic, Global Director of Trade at Logistics Plus, and Steve Bozicevic, CEO of A&A Customs Brokers, for the first episode of the show. In this episode: Why 2025 was unlike any year in trade, from new tariff books to Friday night rule changesWhat changed for businesses on both sides of the US and Canada borderWhether the 2025 tariffs achieved what they set out to doHow the end of de minimis and an 18.6% average tariff hit small importersWhether CBP will accept classifications done with the help of AIWhat technology has actually changed in customs work, from OCR to AIThree predictions for 2026, including Tom's call on the Supreme CourtThe two legal theories for recovering IEEPA dutiesTrain the AI: tariff engineering, packaging, rumors and team workflows 0:00 Why we started recording our advisory calls 0:40 Meet Bojan Strbanovic (Logistics Plus) and Steve Bozicevic (A&A Customs Brokers) 3:44 Has anyone seen a crazier year than 2025? 4:24 New tariff books twice a year, then rules made on a Friday 6:27 Both sides of the border: what changed in one year 9:15 Did the 2025 tariffs achieve their goals? 10:40 Billions in duties, millions in fees: a UPS story 12:18 Small importers, Canada, and why USMCA paperwork calmed the panic 14:02 De minimis ends, and the average tariff hits 18.6% 15:26 Will CBP accept classifications done with AI? 17:21 What tech has actually changed, from OCR to AI 20:37 The global view: AI with a human in the loop, and a rumor agent 22:52 2026 predictions: Steve bets on stability 24:45 Tom's call: the Supreme Court strikes down the IEEPA tariffs 26:31 Two legal theories for getting IEEPA refunds 28:10 Bob's prediction: lobbying, exclusions, and other tools 30:23 Train the AI: tariff engineering and where to source 32:09 Packaging, metal content, and olives stuck at JFK 32:59 Train the AI: rumors and team workflows Hosted by Emil Stefanutti and Tom Gould of Gaia Dynamics.

  9. 12/01/2025

    Trade & Tech - Teaser

    Join Tom and Emil in monthly conversations about trade and tech. Our first episode drops December 10 across all major platforms!

  • 1 Trailer
    8 Episodes

Trailer

About

The Trade & Tech Podcast, presented by Gaia Dynamics, explores how the world moves goods and the rules shaping that movement. Each month, Tom Gould and Emil Stefanutti will explore how companies are navigating tariffs, export controls, and global compliance challenges, as well as the impact that modern technology has on these processes. Industry leaders will share firsthand how they’re adapting and what’s next for global commerce. From policy shifts to the impact of AI on the global trade industry, this is your guide to staying ahead in a rapidly evolving trade landscape.

Information

  • Creator
    Gaia Dynamics
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Gaia Dynamics

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