Retailers and brands building their AI roadmap or evaluating their first agentic workflows
Helping commerce businesses understand and adopt AI responsibly.
A nonprofit association from the Baltics. We publish research, build free playbooks, and run events for retailers, brands, agencies, students, and public institutions in the Baltics and across Europe.
“AI is moving from pilot projects to operational reality in commerce. The teams adopting it well are pulling ahead. The rest are spending money on tools they cannot evaluate. BAICA exists to close that gap, with evidence, practical guidance, and events anyone serious about commerce in the Baltics or Europe can join.”
About
The gap we are closing
BAICA was set up to answer those questions with research and practical resources, not with vendor decks. We are a Latvian-registered nonprofit association working across the Baltics and the wider European commerce community.
Every retailer, brand, and commerce team is hearing the same five questions a week.
- 1Which AI tools are real and which are demos?
- 2Where do we start without breaking what already works?
- 3How do we use AI without losing customer trust or legal cover?
- 4Are our competitors actually shipping this, or just talking about it?
- 5What do we tell our board?
What we do
Six programmes, all open, all free for the industry to use.
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Industry Research
Independent, free research on how commerce teams across the Baltics and Europe actually use AI.
Learn more / 2Knowledge Hub
Four free, plain-language guides for the questions commerce teams meet first.
Learn more / 3Open Case Library
Documented AI implementations in Baltic and European commerce, compiled from cited public sources.
Learn more / 4Events
Free in-person meetups, online workshops, and student sessions across the Baltics.
Learn more / 5Responsible AI Guidance
Plain-English help with the EU AI Act, GDPR, and vendor due diligence for commerce.
Learn more / 6Student Programs
Guest lectures, thesis data, and volunteer roles with Baltic universities.
Learn moreCurrent initiatives
Research and resources, in motion
Compliance
The EU AI Act, in language a non-lawyer can act on
Most commerce stacks already run several systems in scope. Our checklist covers the inventory, the risk classification, and the transparency gaps worth closing first.
- In force since 2 August 2026
- For most retailers, the practical duties are the transparency ones.
Research
What the public data actually shows
A five-minute note on AI adoption across the EU and the three Baltic states. Every number links to its source, and we say plainly where the data stops.
- Adoption is accelerating
- 20.0% of EU enterprises used AI in 2025, up from 13.5% a year earlier.
Events
Where we meet in person.
Four formats, all open to non-members. Free, vendor-neutral, and run in English.
In-person meetup
Baltics AI Meetups
Working sessions in Baltic capitals — practitioner talks and Q&A.
OnlineOnline workshops
Practical 90-minute working sessions built around our published guides.
ResearchResearch briefings
Live walk-throughs of what we publish, with open Q&A on the method.
StudentsStudent sessions
Career-focused introductions and thesis collaborations with Baltic universities.
Latest updates
What we are publishing.
4 August 2026
The EU AI Act is now in force — what changed on 2 August
Transparency and high-risk obligations began applying on 2 August 2026. Here is what commerce teams should have in place, and what to do if they do not.
Read 30 July 2026Recap: The AI native company workshop, Riga
Senior leaders spent a day turning vague AI ambitions into one defined use case each. What came out of the room.
Read 22 July 2026EU AI Act enforcement begins 2 August: what commerce teams must do now
On 2 August the EU AI Act reaches full enforcement. Four obligations deserve attention this week.
ReadAudience
Who we serve.
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eCommerce teams and digital leaders under pressure to show AI results to their boards
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Agencies and technology providers who need shared standards and benchmarks to operate against
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Universities and students preparing the next generation to work in AI-driven commerce
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Public institutions shaping AI policy, education, and innovation funding across the Baltics and Europe
How we work
Five values that govern everything we publish.
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Practical
Every output should help someone ship something next week, not give them a theory to admire.
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Open
Research, materials, and case studies are free for the industry. No paywalls on the things that should be public.
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Responsible
We promote safe, ethical, evidence-based AI adoption. We name the things that go wrong, not only the things that go right.
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Independent
Vendor-neutrality is built into our governance, not just claimed in our copy.
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Collaborative
Built with businesses, universities, students, and public institutions together. None of those groups alone can solve this.
Membership
Join the community, free during 2026.
Open to individuals and organisations across the Baltics and Europe. Applications are reviewed by the Board within 10 working days.
Individual membership
For professionals, researchers, educators, and students working in commerce, retail, or AI.
- Early access to research
- Member sessions and working groups
- Event priority
Organisational membership
For retailers, brands, agencies, universities, and public institutions. Covers your whole team.
- Case Library contribution
- Working group seats
- Student programme partnership