Guterres addressed the inaugural meeting of the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI on Tuesday, telling the 40‑member group that their diverse expertise and independence will be crucial in shaping how AI is deployed and governed worldwide.

“Individually, you come from diverse regions and disciplines. Collectively, you represent something the world has never seen before,” he said. He emphasised that the panel’s central role would be to “close the AI knowledge gap” and provide governments with reliable scientific assessments of AI’s real‑world impact.

Guterres stressed that no single country, company or discipline can understand or manage AI’s rapid evolution in isolation. “AI is advancing at lightning speed. No country, no company and no field of research can see the full picture alone,” he said. “The world urgently needs a shared, global understanding of artificial intelligence, grounded not in ideology but in science.”

The expert panel will operate independently of governments, corporations and the UN itself, providing objective evaluations to help countries act with clarity and on equal footing as AI technologies reshape global systems.

Guterres warned that misunderstandings about AI’s capabilities and risks could fuel distrust and geopolitical tension at a time when international divisions are deepening. “I have seen how quickly fear can take hold when facts are missing or distorted, how trust breaks down and division deepens,” he said.

He added that with conflicts escalating worldwide and geopolitical tensions rising, the need for “safe and responsible AI” has never been greater.

–UN/ChannelAfrica–