The UN General Assembly on Tuesday established an artificial intelligence advisory panel to guide countries in making decisions about the rapidly evolving technology. Member states expressed concern over AI’s fast development, fearing it could pose threats to democracy and human rights. In September, UN members agreed to form an expert-level panel of scientists to facilitate dialogue among governments on AI. Under the resolution approved Tuesday, the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence will conduct evidence-based scientific assessments, analyzing existing research on the opportunities, risks, and impacts of AI. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will now select members for the 40-member panel, who will serve three-year terms. The resolution also calls for an annual global dialogue among governments and stakeholders on AI governance. These parties will discuss international cooperation, share best practices and lessons learned, and talk about AI governance so as to help the world achieve UN global development goals, among other objectives, the text states. The first of these dialogue sessions will take place in Geneva next year at a world summit on AI. “The development of artificial intelligence is advancing at a pace and scale that means it affects all states and countries across the globe,” said Costa Rican ambassador Maritza Chan Valverde, who oversaw the discussions leading to the new resolution along with her counterpart from Spain. “With this resolution, the United Nations reaffirms its central role in guaranteeing that AI will serve humanity,” she added.
UN establishes advisory panel on artificial intelligence
