UN chief asks int'l panel on AI to help build guardrails, unlock innovation

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the first meeting of the International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the UN headquarters in New York on March 3, 2026. Guterres on Tuesday asked the newly-established International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence to help decision-makers build effective guardrails, unlock innovation for the common good, and strengthen international cooperation. (Evan Schneider/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, March 3 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday asked the newly-established International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help decision-markers build effective guardrails, unlock innovation for the common good, and strengthen international cooperation.

Speaking at the first meeting of the panel, which was held virtually, Guterres said AI is advancing at lightning speed today, reshaping economies and societies, and no country, no company and no field of research can see the full picture alone.

"AI will shape peace and security, human rights and sustainable development, the three areas of intervention of the United Nations for decades to come," he said.

The world urgently needs "a shared, global understanding of artificial intelligence, grounded not in ideology, but in science; not in fake news, but in knowledge," the UN chief emphasized.

The panel represents "something the world has never seen before" -- a first-of-its-kind, one-of-a-kind global, independent scientific body dedicated to helping shape the trajectory of AI for the benefit of humanity, and its role is to bring independent, credible science into the global conversation at a time when geopolitical tensions are rising, conflicts are raging, and the stakes for safe and responsible AI could not be greater, said Guterres.

"It is a huge responsibility," he said, adding that the panel's work will be presented at the first annual Global Dialogue on AI Governance, which is scheduled in Geneva in July.

According to Guterres, the work of the panel is scientific, and all its members serve in their personal capacity "providing scientific assessments independent of any government, company or institution, including the United Nations."

"Grounded in conflict-of-interest safeguards, this scientific independence will help ensure that the Panel's advice remains impartial and trusted," he said.

The UN General Assembly appointed 40 members to the panel in February and their three-year term began on Feb. 12. ■