MONTERREY, NL.– The criteria of the CTPAT (Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) program could be modified in the coming years due to the use of artificial intelligence (AI), with the purpose of developing better tools to increase the security of supply chains.
In the panel “Developing Knowledge in Supply Chain Security in the First 25 Years of CTPAT” at Supply Chain Security Day 2026, Mike Garza, director of the Laredo CTPAT Field Office , said that these modifications are possible.
“It’s important because it’s part of the business. It’s very easy these days to do business with a company that seems to be doing everything right, only to later discover that it’s fake, that they were working with a computer, pretending it was a real company. It’s something we have to consider in our security criteria,” he emphasized.
Carlos Ochoa, executive director of Supplier Compliance Audit Network (SCAN) , said that these changes will be inevitable because there are already companies that have been compromised through AI, with a voice message supposedly from the boss, as well as videos.
“Artificial intelligence is already being used to do bad things, and it is inevitable that all OAS programs, including the WCO itself, will recognize this and that security criteria will be strengthened,” he explained.
He mentioned that changes in supply chain security are expected. “What we are doing today will change more than CTPAT has changed in 25 years, and it will change even more in less than five or 10 years.”
For his part, Leonel Navarro, Cybersecurity Specialist in Supply Chain, indicated that AI helps with various actions such as defending, detecting anomalies or vulnerabilities , but also with phishing or malware companies .
“Artificial intelligence can help us identify events or situations we weren’t prepared to respond to, and that’s the potential of these tools. But what’s important to consider is that today, we’re no longer just talking about humans, but about artificial intelligence agents negotiating with other agents. That’s why it’s important to understand the implications of these technologies and know how to make better decisions,” he emphasized.
According to BTR Consulting , Mexico ranked as the second most affected country by cyberattacks during the first half of 2026. The consulting firm indicated that 83.3% of Mexican organizations suffered at least one cybersecurity incident, a figure that places the country above the global average, estimated at 70.9%, and only behind Switzerland
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