The United Nations has approved the creation of a new 40-member international panel to study the risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence, despite firm resistance from the United States. The decision comes at a time when former employees of major AI firms are publicly raising concerns about the rapid development of the technology.
The UN General Assembly voted 117-2 in favour of establishing the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. The United States and Paraguay opposed the move, while Tunisia and Ukraine abstained. Russia, China and several European nations backed the initiative.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the panel as a “foundational step toward global scientific understanding of AI.” He said that in a world where AI is advancing at extraordinary speed, countries need independent, rigorous scientific insight to ensure all nations — regardless of their technological capacity — can participate in discussions on equal footing.
A First-of-Its-Kind Global Body
The newly formed panel will publish an annual report examining AI’s risks, benefits and broader societal impacts. According to the UN, this will be the first global scientific body dedicated entirely to analysing artificial intelligence from an international perspective.
Members were selected from more than 2,600 applicants following an independent review conducted by various UN bodies and the International Telecommunication Union. The experts will serve three-year terms.
Europe holds 12 seats on the panel, including representatives such as Joelle Barral of France, Finland’s Anna Korhonen, Germany’s Maximilian Nickel and Bernhard Schölkopf, Spain’s Roman Orús, Austria’s Johanna Pirker, Poland’s Piotr Sankowski and Italy’s Silvio Savarese, among others.
Growing Alarm Inside the AI Industry
The UN vote comes as concerns about AI’s direction grow within the industry itself. Mrinank Sharma, a former safety researcher at Anthropic, warned in an open letter that “the world is in peril” due to the rapid development of AI alongside other global crises.
Similarly, Zoe Hitzig, a former top researcher at OpenAI, told The New York Times that she has “deep reservations” about her former company’s strategic direction.
High-profile technology leaders have also expressed caution. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, Sam Altman of OpenAI, and Steve Wozniak have all previously warned about the potential dangers posed by unchecked AI development.
U.S. Pushback and Questions Over Authority
Despite widespread support, the initiative has drawn sharp criticism from Washington. Lauren Lovelace, the U.S. representative, described the panel as “a significant overreach of the UN’s mandate and competence,” arguing that AI governance is not something the UN should dictate.
The debate highlights a growing global divide over who should shape the future of artificial intelligence — national governments, private companies, or international institutions. With the new panel set to begin its work, that conversation is likely to intensify in the years ahead.
