In a major step forward for global AI governance, the United Nations has officially established the International Scientific Panel on AI (ISP-AI), following years of groundwork by the Secretary-General’s AI Advisory Body. As featured in IPI Global Observatory, Dr. Eleonore Fournier-Tombs, Head of Anticipatory Action and Innovation at UNU-CPR, looks ahead.
The panel, tasked with providing annual evidence-based assessments of AI risks and opportunities, represents a milestone in multilateral cooperation on technology. But its success will depend on how it approaches risk evaluation, especially in a landscape where AI threats range from misinformation to environmental harm, and national capacities vary widely.
Fournier-Tombs outlines four potential approaches the ISP-AI could take, drawing lessons from the UN’s history of risk monitoring. While a global top-down model may be the panel’s starting point, a blended approach that includes national reporting and global data sharing may ultimately prove more effective in ensuring accountability, comparability and long-term impact.
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