Chairperson of Webb Fontaine and founder/architect of the ASYCUDA system, Jean Gurunlian, has issued a strong warning on the future of Customs technology, stating that legacy Customs systems are no longer fit for purpose in a world shaped by large language models (LLMs).
The techno expert, who gave the warning at the WCO Technology Conference 2026 in Abu Dhabi, maintained that “no Customs system that has not been built on LLM will survive.”
According to him, the first real outcome of LLMs is that they have made all existing Customs systems obsolete.
Gurunlian, who designed ASYCUDA and oversaw its deployment in more than 100 countries, was quoted in a news report from the African Press Organisation (APO) Group, as stressing that the pace and nature of regulatory change have fundamentally shifted.
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He maintained that traditional Customs systems, often reliant on static rules, manual updates, and lengthy development cycles, can no longer cope with today’s trade and policy environment.
The ASYCUDA chief clarified: “Customs systems that cannot adapt to changing laws, regulations, or operational requirements within very short timeframes simply will not survive anymore. If a system needs years to adjust, it is already too late.”
Gurunlian explained that the rise of LLMs had exposed the structural weakness of systems that depend on predefined logic rather than continuous learning and adaptation, noting that many Customs platforms still require months, or even years, to incorporate legislative changes, tariff updates, or new non-tariff measures.
He said: “Tariffs and non-tariff barriers have increasingly become political weapons. They can change overnight, sometimes without warning. With LLM-enabled systems, those changes can be interpreted, applied, and operationalized in seconds.”
Gurunlian pointed out that adaptability was no longer a feature but a prerequisite and underscored that Customs technology must now be designed around continuous improvement, contextual understanding, and rapid learning, capabilities that only AI-driven architectures can provide.
The techno expert warned that the systems, including those that I created, were bound to become obsolete, adding that if a system cannot be improved in production, it should not be deployed.
While noting that governments and Customs administrations face a critical decision point, he stressed that continuing to invest in static, rule-based systems risked locking institutions into technology that cannot respond to geopolitical shocks, regulatory volatility, or the increasing complexity of global trade.
Gurunlian expatiated: “LLMs change the nature of systems themselves. This is not about adding AI on top of existing platforms. It is about rethinking Customs systems from the ground up.”
