UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations has announced the formation of an independent panel of 40 experts to guide global understanding and governance of artificial intelligence. Among those selected are Filipino journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa and renowned Canadian AI scientist Yoshua Bengio.
The three-year panel also includes Joelle Barral, a senior research and engineering director at Google DeepMind, and Ethiopian researcher Girmaw Abebe Tadesse, who works at Microsoft’s lab focused on AI applications in sustainability, health, and humanitarian efforts.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the body as the world’s first fully independent scientific group dedicated to bridging the global AI knowledge gap and evaluating AI’s social and economic impacts. He said members were chosen for their expertise across fields including machine learning, data governance, cybersecurity, public health, child development, and human rights.
Approved in August 2025 by the UN General Assembly, the panel is intended to play a role for AI similar to that of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for global warming.
Members will serve in their personal capacity, independent of governments or corporations.The panel’s first report is expected ahead of the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in July.
