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UN to launch independent scientific panel on artificial intelligence, Secretary-General says

United Nations General Assembly · January 16, 2026

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Summary

The Secretary-General announced that the United Nations will launch an independent scientific panel on artificial intelligence in the coming weeks to assess AI opportunities, risks and impacts and to inform global governance efforts.

The Secretary-General said the United Nations will "launch the independent scientific panel on artificial intelligence to provide impartial evidence based assessment of AI opportunities, risks, and impacts" in the coming weeks, signaling a stepped-up UN role in shaping global AI governance.

He framed the announcement within broader concerns about concentration of corporate power and algorithms, saying AI is "too consequential to be controlled only by a few companies or optimized only to monetize attention and outrage" and asking how societies will "protect our children from the tyranny of the algorithm." He thanked Member States for supporting the independent panel and the global dialogue on AI governance.

The announcement accompanies other institutional initiatives the Secretary-General cited, including a high-level expert group on 'beyond GDP' measures and monthly dialogues under the UNIT initiative to prepare the UN for new global challenges. The speech did not specify the panel's membership, mandate text, or timeline beyond the coming weeks; those details were not provided in the address.