WORLD - A new United Nations-backed scientific panel on artificial intelligence has launched a major global study to examine how rapidly advancing technologies are reshaping societies, economies, and decision-making, amid growing concerns over ethics and regulation.

The Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, the first global scientific body of its kind, brings together 40 experts from academia, industry, government, and civil society.

The group was formally appointed by the UN General Assembly in February and is tasked with producing evidence-based assessments on the risks and opportunities of AI.

Among its members is Menna El-Assady, an assistant professor at ETH Zurich, who emphasized that the panel’s work goes beyond technical analysis.

“We are not just focusing on AI as a mathematical or algorithmic field,” she said. “We are also looking at ensuring that humans are central to decision-making.”

The panel will study the impact of AI across sectors including labour markets and healthcare, while exploring how humans and machines interact. El-Assady highlighted the concept of “augmented intelligence,” which focuses on using AI to enhance, rather than replace, human capabilities.

The initiative comes as global concerns rise over unregulated AI development. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned against allowing algorithms to shape humanity’s future unchecked, while human rights officials have cautioned against systems built without ethical safeguards.

Key areas of focus include trust, transparency and inclusivity. El-Assady called for stronger public digital infrastructure and more diverse AI models that reflect different cultures and languages. She also pointed to “AI watermarking” as a potential tool to distinguish between human and machine-generated content.

The panel’s first report is expected to be presented in July at the UN’s Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva.