UN Creates Global AI Scientific Panel
The United Nations has established an Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence to provide authoritative analysis and advice on its global impact. Announced by Secretary-General António Guterres, the panel brings together dozens of researchers to guide the safe and equitable deployment of AI. Observers have drawn parallels to the UN's scientific panels on climate change, suggesting it could play a key role in shaping international AI policy.
The panel's 40 members were selected from a pool of over 2,600 candidates and will serve in their personal capacities for three-year terms. The group is intentionally diverse, comprising experts from various disciplines like machine learning, data governance, and human rights, and ensuring geographical and gender balance. Notable members include Filipino journalist and Nobel laureate Maria Ressa. This body will function as a vital link between cutting-edge AI science and international policymaking, tasked with producing an annual, evidence-based assessment of AI's opportunities and risks. These reports will be policy-relevant but non-prescriptive, aiming to create a shared understanding for all member states, regardless of their technological capacity. The panel's structure is modeled after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which synthesizes climate science to inform international negotiations. Like the IPCC, this AI panel will not conduct new research but will analyze existing findings to ground global policy discussions in objective evidence. Its assessments are intended to become a trusted reference for governments and stakeholders. The panel's findings will directly feed into a new "Global Dialogue on AI Governance," a UN platform for governments, the private sector, and civil society to discuss international cooperation and best practices. The panel may also issue thematic briefs on urgent topics as they arise. This initiative is part of a broader push by the UN to ensure the development of AI aligns with human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals. The creation of the panel was formally agreed upon by member states in September 2024 as a key component of the Global Digital Compact. The United Nations General Assembly officially approved the 40 members in February 2026, with 117 countries voting in favor. The panel is on a fast track to deliver its first report in time for the Global Dialogue on AI Governance scheduled for July.
