AI is already changing the world, and the main question is whether states can move forward with these changes together. The UN Secretary General announced the composition of the first global scientific group on artificial intelligence Economic development
Speaking at UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday, Secretary-General António Guterres unveiled a list of 40 experts who will serve on the new Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, the world’s first fully independent global body designed to monitor and assess the real-world impacts of AI developments.
Guterres emphasized that the group’s work will help strengthen multilateral mechanisms for regulating rapidly developing technologies. “Artificial intelligence is developing at the speed of light. No country can see the full picture [of what is happening] alone,” the UN chief said, noting that the world needs common guidelines and science-based approaches.
Formation of an international group
An open global competition was announced to select candidates for the group. More than 2,600 applications were received. The final list included experts in the fields of machine learning, cybersecurity, healthcare, human rights, child development and data management. All group members will work in a personal capacity, independent of any government agency, private company or organization.
According to the Secretary General, the group will become a guide in conditions where reliable and impartial information about AI is especially in demand. He emphasized that the new structure will help “separate facts from falsifications, and science from noise.”
The first results will be in the summer
The group will begin work in an accelerated mode, the Secretary General promised. The first report is expected for July’s Global Dialogue on AI Governance, a key international forum where future rules and standards will be discussed.
Guterres noted that artificial intelligence is already changing the world, and the main question is whether states will be able to move forward in the wake of these changes together.
“It’s about whether we shape this transformation together or let it shape us,” he said.
The Secretary General warned that in the context of growing geopolitical competition and technological rivalry, it is especially important to find a common platform. The new group, he said, could become such a platform – based on science, solidarity and international cooperation.