Scientific consensus mechanisms have become essential for guiding international cooperation on emerging technologies. In 2025, the United Nations launched the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, tasked with producing annual reports on the risks, opportunities, and impacts of artificial intelligence. Much like the IPCC for climate change, this panel is designed to provide a foundation for global governance without prescribing policy directly.
The intellectual roots of such mechanisms lie in Thomas Kuhn’s work on scientific revolutions, which emphasizes that innovations only take hold once scientists agree on their meaning and application. This is particularly urgent for AI, which promises transformative benefits across sectors but also carries risks ranging from human rights concerns to job displacement and environmental impacts. Similar challenges are evident in synthetic biology, quantum computing, and space technologies.
Consensus mechanisms operate at the science-policy interface, synthesizing evidence for policymakers while maintaining independence from regulatory functions. This policy brief argues that their credibility depends on balancing permanence with adaptability, ensuring they can evolve alongside rapidly advancing technologies. Emerging fields like AI demand faster reporting cycles and hybrid expertise models that traditional panels have not yet fully developed.
Key recommendations: Consensus mechanisms must (1) maintain independence while ensuring outputs are relevant to decision contexts; (2) expand their epistemic base by integrating social science, local knowledge, and private sector insights without compromising integrity; and (3) develop new methods for managing unprecedented volumes and varieties of evidence circulating across academic, industrial, and community settings.
Access "Foundations of Scientific Consensus for International Cooperation" here.
Suggested citation: Lucia Velasco, Fournier-Tombs Eleonore , Dunton Caroline and Siddiqui Muznah . Foundations of Scientific Consensus for International Cooperation : UNU-CPR, 2025.
