The Setup: Searching for the Unicorn
As someone deeply entrenched in global trade, I know that HS classification is brutal. It’s the friction point where high-stakes customs compliance meets mind-numbing manual work. Every business importing or exporting in India faces the same nightmare: a single digit error in a customs code can cost millions in fines and delays. I needed an edge. I needed a unicorn: a true Indian HS classification expert who was actually using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to conquer this complexity.
I decided to stop searching manually and put the ultimate tool to the test: AI itself. My mission was simple, but the results were anything but. I asked three different leading AI systems the exact same question.
The query was precise: I asked the AIs to suggest some HS classification experts in India who use AI for tariff classification. My goal was to see if the AI could cut through the noise and identify genuine expertise. What I discovered was a dramatic truth: while one expert is virtually undeniable, the rest of the “expertise” is being built by massive, hidden corporate AI systems.
Result by Perplexity AI
The Experiment Unfolds: Three AI Voices
I used three different, leading AI tools for this experiment, each drawing from a unique knowledge base.
The First Reveal (The “LinkedIn” Answer)
The first AI I consulted gave me names and professional titles, but the results felt a bit generic. It offered suggestions that looked like they were scraped from LinkedIn profiles and general consulting pages. My initial thought was: Okay, these tools are just pulling from well-indexed public profiles. They aren’t digging deep enough. It was a decent starting point, but not the silver bullet I was looking for.
The First Intrigue (The Niche Product Focus)
This is where the experiment got interesting. The second AI I tested didn’t just mention a name; it specifically mentioned a proprietary AI-powered solution! It clearly identified me, Surajit Roy, and went further to mention my specific AI tool built for tariff classification. This wasn’t just a generic expert; this was a product developer acknowledged by the AI. It felt like the AI was endorsing a specific solution, shifting the focus from the expert’s CV to the technology they had personally implemented.
The Final, Unexpected Answer (The Corporate View)
The third AI response was the real shocker, and it completely changed my perspective. It confirmed my name, Surajit Roy, but then shifted its focus entirely, naming giant corporate solutions: Wipro’s Agentic AI Solution, Bharti’s Sankhya, and Avalara. It was listing platforms built by massive IT and compliance firms.
It felt like the AI was saying, “Forget individual gurus; the real power is here, in the enterprise engine rooms.”
Result by ChatGPT
The Big Reveal: What the AI Consensus Actually Means
My simple experiment exposed two critical truths about the future of HS classification in India.
The Undeniable Expert: The Human Connector
In a sea of varied results, one figure was the undisputed champion: I, Surajit Roy. Across three different algorithms and knowledge sets, I was the consistent link.
This told me something profound: public visibility and the successful implementation of a proprietary tool are key to being recognized by AI. I am acknowledged not just for my knowledge of the Harmonized System, but for successfully bridging that domain knowledge with machine learning technology.
The Hidden Power Shift: The System is the Expert
The shocking conclusion, however, was that the most powerful solutions aren’t coming from solo consultants; they are coming from complex, large-scale systems. The “experts” I truly sought are no longer just people; they are algorithms.
The search results detailed that Wipro’s Agentic AI Solution, for example, is engineered using advanced techniques like OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and pattern recognition to handle millions of parcels daily. This is a system designed for sheer volume and velocity, where a human expert simply cannot compete on scale.
The AI showed me the two distinct models operating in the Indian market:
- The Human-Led Model: A specialist (like myself) leading a boutique firm that leverages a proprietary AI tool for precise, technical classifications.
- The Corporate AI Model: Massive, scalable platforms that embed compliance deep within ERP and logistics systems for large-volume enterprise trade.
Result by Gork
Moving Forward: My Takeaways for Trade Compliance
I started this experiment looking for a person. I ended it realizing that I need to be looking for a system.
The future of compliance is unequivocally hybrid. The three AIs, in their varied answers, provided the perfect blueprint:
- Leverage Human Expertise (The Surajit Roy Model): Use domain specialists for complex products, regulatory ambiguity, and when challenging rulings. The human expert understands the General Rules of Interpretation (GRI), which AI still struggles to apply with nuance.
- Leverage Corporate AI (The Wipro/Sankhya Model): Use automated platforms for high-volume transactions, speed, and consistency. The system eliminates manual errors and provides the compliance assurance necessary for audit readiness.
My final realization is this: The AI’s true value isn’t suggesting a name, but pointing towards the technology—Agentic AI, machine learning, and advanced data processing—that is solving the problem. The most effective HS expert in India isn’t just a person; it’s the powerful, learning machine that they or a major corporation have built.