UN Forms Global Panel on Artificial Intelligence
The United Nations has announced the creation of the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. The panel, composed of dozens of leading researchers, is tasked with analyzing the global impacts of AI and advising on its opportunities and risks. The move reflects growing recognition among policymakers of the need for international coordination to govern the rapidly advancing technology.
This scientific panel builds on the work of a previous UN High-Level Advisory Body on AI, which was formed in October 2023 and published its "Governing AI for Humanity" report in 2024. That temporary group recommended the creation of a more permanent scientific body to continuously assess the technology. Likened to an "IPCC for AI," the panel's primary role is to serve as a scientific body, not a policy-making one. It is mandated to produce annual, evidence-based reports on AI's risks and opportunities, acting as an early-warning system for global governments. The panel's findings will directly inform the implementation of the Global Digital Compact, a comprehensive framework for digital cooperation adopted by world leaders at the UN's Summit of the Future in September 2024. This compact commits governments to upholding human rights online and making the digital space safe and inclusive. The 40 members were selected from a pool of over 2,600 candidates and will serve a three-year term from February 2026 to February 2029. The group is geographically diverse and includes experts from academia, the private sector, and civil society, such as University of Minnesota professor Vipin Kumar and Filipino Nobel laureate Maria Ressa. The panel's creation was not unanimous. The UN General Assembly approved the appointment of its members with a vote of 117 in favor to 2 against. The United States and Paraguay voted no, with a U.S. official calling the body a "significant overreach of the U.N.'s mandate and competence." The initiative aims to create a more inclusive approach to AI governance. A 2024 UN report found that only seven developed countries were parties to all significant international AI governance initiatives, a gap this global panel and an accompanying Global Dialogue on AI Governance are designed to close.
