Our programmes.
BAICA runs six programmes, all free and open to any commerce business, practitioner, or student in the Baltics and wider Europe. Each one exists to answer a practical question: what is actually working with AI in commerce, and how do you adopt it responsibly?
Last updated: 22 July 2026
Programme 1
Industry Research
What it delivers. Original, independent data on how commerce businesses in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are adopting AI — what they use, what it costs, what fails, and what pays off. No vendor sponsorship shapes the findings, and every report is published free.
What exists today. Our first published output is a desk-research note on AI adoption across the EU and the three Baltic states, drawing on the most recent Eurostat data, with every figure linked to its source.
Who it is for. Retailers, D2C brands, and marketplace sellers who want benchmarks instead of anecdotes — plus policymakers and journalists who need Baltic-specific data.
How to participate. Tell us which questions you need answered, or contribute data from your own business. Everything we publish stays free.
Programme 2
Knowledge Hub
What it delivers. Short, practical guides written for people who run commerce businesses, not for AI specialists. Each is roughly a six-minute read, cites its sources, and ends with steps you can act on the same week. No registration wall, no email required.
What exists today. Four guides are published now: the EU AI Act checklist, How to evaluate an AI vendor, Customer data and AI, and Your first 90 days of AI adoption. New guides are added as our research surfaces questions members keep asking.
Who it is for. Owners, managing directors, and ecommerce leads at small and mid-sized commerce businesses.
Programme 3
Open Case Library
What it delivers. Documented, verifiable accounts of real AI implementations in Baltic and European commerce: the problem, the tool, the cost, the outcome — including the projects that failed. Cases are anonymised on request but always fact-checked with the business involved before publication.
What exists today. Three case digests compiled from public sources are live now; we are also recruiting first-party contributors for member-authored cases publishing in 2027.
Who it is for. Businesses that want peer evidence before committing budget, and practitioners willing to share what they learned so others avoid the same mistakes.
Programme 4
Events
What it delivers. Free, in-person meetups where Baltic commerce people compare notes on AI: what they tried, what broke, what they would do differently. Sessions favour practitioner-led work and open discussion over sales pitches.
What exists today. Two events have run in Riga: Baltics AI Meetup #1 on 27 July 2026 and The AI native company workshop on 29 July 2026. An online workshop on AI readiness for SMEs and a second meetup outside Latvia are being scheduled.
Who it is for. Anyone working in or around Baltic commerce: merchants, developers, marketers, students, public-sector staff. No membership required.
Programme 5
Responsible AI Guidance
What it delivers. Plain-language help with the rules that now govern AI in commerce — above all the EU AI Act, which enters full enforcement on 2 August 2026 with fines of up to €35 million or 7% of global turnover. We translate legal text into checklists a non-lawyer can act on, and we flag where you genuinely need professional legal advice.
What exists today. Our EU AI Act checklist for commerce businesses walks through the obligations most likely to affect retailers. The customer data and AI guide covers the GDPR overlap.
Who it is for. Commerce businesses using — or about to buy — AI tools, and the agencies and developers who build for them.
Programme 6
Student Programs
What it delivers. A bridge between Baltic universities and the commerce businesses adopting AI: guest lectures, access to our research data for coursework and theses, and volunteer roles on our research and events teams.
What exists today. We are in active outreach to universities in Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania to set up guest lectures and thesis collaborations for the 2026/27 academic year. Students can already volunteer on our research and events work.
Who it is for. Students in business, computer science, law, and related fields; lecturers seeking industry cases; universities wanting a practice partner that is not selling anything.
Not sure where to start?
If you run a commerce business, read the first 90 days guide and the EU AI Act checklist. If you just want to meet the community, come to the next event. Membership is open to companies and individuals — see what it includes.
Everything we publish is free.
Guides, research notes and case digests, with no sign-up and no paywall. Membership is how the work gets funded and shaped, and it is free during 2026.