UN Launches Global AI Panel
The United Nations has established the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence to create global governance frameworks. Comprising dozens of researchers, the group will assess the societal and ethical impacts of AI and provide guidance to governments on responsible innovation and risk mitigation.
This new scientific body builds on the work of the UN's High-level Advisory Body on AI, which concluded a yearlong process in September 2024. That group's final report, "Governing AI for Humanity," identified major gaps in global AI governance and proposed seven key recommendations, including the creation of this independent scientific panel. The panel's creation was approved by the UN General Assembly with a vote of 117 in favor and 2 against. The United States and Paraguay voted no, with a U.S. representative stating the panel is an "overreach of the U.N.'s mandate and competence" and that they would not cede authority over AI to international bodies. The 40 members were selected from a pool of over 2,600 applicants and will serve in their personal capacity for three-year terms. The selection was conducted by several UN bodies, including UNESCO and the International Telecommunications Union, with an emphasis on geographic and gender diversity. This UN initiative joins other international efforts to govern AI, such as the G7's Hiroshima AI Process and the OECD's AI Principles, which have become a global reference for trustworthy AI. However, the UN panel is modeled to be an authoritative scientific body, similar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), aiming to ground political discussions in evidence.
