The United Nations has established two new Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance institutions as part of a concerted effort to close the regulatory void around AI.
The new bodies are the Global Dialogue on AI Governance and the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, both designed to foster inclusive, evidence‑based oversight of AI.
“AI has significant potential to support the UN by promoting inclusivity, reducing inequalities, helping to accelerate nearly 80 percent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and strengthening the work of the United Nations system.” the official United Nations website wrote.
New governing bodies
In August 2025, the United Nations established the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI in accordance with resolution A/RES/79/325.
The panel shall provide insights from 40 members on the impacts, risks and opportunities of AI, the World Economic Forum reported.
Meanwhile, the Global Dialogue on AI Governance shall serve as a platform for UN member states to discuss issues regarding AI and find common ground on how to regulate AI.
The dialogue aims to provide a forum for sharing best practices and co-ordinating governance across members.
“We lay the cornerstones of a global AI ecosystem that can keep pace with the fastest-moving technology in human history.”
“A system that rests on three fundamental pillars – policy, science and capacity.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a speech to the UN body.
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Structures, goals and challenges
The UN hopes the new bodies will help build trust, bridge inequalities, reduce regulatory fragmentation, promote open innovation and ensure that AI’s benefits are more widely shared rather than concentrated in a few places, Xinhua said in a report.
Still, challenges remain with some governments expressing concern about the role of international institutions in regulating AI, preferring national or regional approaches.
Moreover, aligning diverse legal systems, balancing innovation and safety and securing sufficient funding for capacity building, especially in the Global South, will require sustained commitment and co-operation.
The launch of these governance bodies marks a significant step by the UN to take a more central role in coordinating AI regulation worldwide.
Whether they can keep pace with rapidly advancing technologies, however, remains to be seen.
Urgency of AI oversight
Artificial intelligence is increasingly pervasive in fields from healthcare and climate modelling to industrial automation.
However, many member states are struggling to keep regulatory pace with technological growth.
The World Economic Forum has warned that less than one percent of organisations have fully embedded “responsible AI” practices across their operations, reflecting a broader gap in aligned governance.
The UN noted that 118 countries are not party to any significant international AI governance initiative, underscoring the fragmented nature of the global landscape.
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Bobbie Ysabelle Matias 
Andre Alfonso R. Gutierrez 
Diana Mae Y. Cleto