A newly formed UN artificial intelligence panel with members from the UAE, US, Singapore and other countries is getting ready to present its first report.
The UN's independent scientific AI panel consists of 40 members from around the world and has been charged by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres with providing "independent and impartial assessments of AI’s opportunities, risks and impacts". It will report its findings on July 6 and 7 during the UN's Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
"We actually needed the panel yesterday," Loreto Bravo, a member from Chile said in a video posted to a UN social media account. "It's not something that we need now; we're late already."
Yutaka Matsuo, a prominent computer scientist from Japan and panel member was also in the video.
"AI is developing so much for all of us," Mr Matsuo said. "We have to make it proceed in a very good way for society."
The global conference in Geneva is being promoted by the UN as way to make sure that AI "governance reflects the priorities of all nations, not just the most technologically advanced".
Among those attending with Mr Guterres are Doreen Bogdan-Martin, secretary general of the International Telecommunication Union, and Microsoft president Brad Smith.
Despite optimism over AI's influence on society, concern has grown over the past year about the potential for it to disrupt the job market and create environmental problems, among other issues.
In January, Mr Guterres addressed those fears as he talked about the newly announced AI body.
"In a world where AI is racing ahead, this panel will provide what’s been missing – rigorous, independent scientific insight that enables all member states, regardless of their technological capacity, to engage on an equal footing," he said.
Yoshua Bengio, a Canadian computer scientist, and Maria Ressa, a 2021 Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist from the Philippines, are co-chairing the UN's panel.
More than 2,600 from around the world were submitted as candidates to take part in the AI group.
Computer, philosophy, AI and digital rights experts are among those chosen for the 40-member independent body.
Tuka Alhanai, an assistant professor of computer engineering at New York University Abu Dhabi, was nominated to the panel in January and confirmed shortly after.
