UN Forms Global AI Advisory Panel
The United Nations has created the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence to advise on the technology's risks and opportunities. The panel, which draws parallels with similar bodies for climate change, aims to promote globally coordinated regulatory frameworks. This comes as new benchmarks demonstrate rapid advances in AI capabilities that are reshaping the labor market.
The 40-member scientific panel was approved by the UN General Assembly in a 117-2 vote, with the United States and Paraguay opposing the measure. The U.S. expressed concern about ceding authority over AI to international bodies and the "non-transparent way" the panel was chosen, while allies in Europe and Asia voted in favor. Selected from over 2,600 applicants, the panel includes not just AI experts but also specialists in linguistics, human rights, and journalism, such as Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa. Members will serve three-year terms and are tasked with producing annual, evidence-based assessments synthesizing existing research on AI's impacts. The panel is modeled on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), established in 1988 to synthesize scientific research for policymakers without being prescriptive. Like the IPCC, the AI panel will not conduct its own original research but will review and compile existing literature to create a shared global understanding of the technology. This initiative arrives amidst a fragmented global regulatory landscape. The European Union's AI Act, which came into force in August 2024, is the world's first comprehensive AI law, establishing a risk-based framework. In contrast, China has implemented centralized state control with strict rules on content and algorithmic recommendations, while the U.S. relies on a patchwork of state-level and sector-specific rules. The panel's work is set against a backdrop of complex labor market shifts. While overall employment has grown in sectors exposed to AI, jobs for younger workers have declined. One analysis found that between late 2022 and mid-2025, employment for workers aged 22-25 in highly AI-exposed jobs fell by 6%.
