The United Nations has announced the formation of a 40-member expert panel to evaluate the global impact of artificial intelligence. The panel includes Nobel Peace Prize-winning Filipino journalist Maria Ressa and Canadian AI researcher Yoshua Bengio. According to AFP, the three-year panel also features Joelle Barral, Senior Director at Google DeepMind, and Girmaw Abebe Tadesse, Principal Research Scientist at Microsoft Labs, who focuses on AI applications in sustainable development, humanitarian work, and health.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the panel will be the first fully independent global scientific body dedicated to addressing knowledge gaps about AI and assessing its real effects on economies and societies. Members will serve in their personal capacities, not as representatives of governments or organizations, and their appointments will be submitted to the General Assembly for approval.

The panel, decided by the UN General Assembly in August 2025, will include experts in machine learning, data governance, cybersecurity, public health, child development, and human rights. Its first report is expected during the upcoming UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in July.