IIT Madras professor among 40 experts nominated by UN chief to serve on scientific panel on AI

UNITED NATIONS: IIT Madras Professor is among a global group of 40 distinguished experts recommended by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to serve on a new independent scientific panel on Artificial Intelligence.

Guterres on Wednesday submitted for the consideration of the UN General Assembly the list of 40 distinguished individuals from every region to serve on the new Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence for a three-year term from the date of appointment.

Among those recommended by the Secretary General for the panel is Balaraman Ravindran, who heads the Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI) , the Wadhwani School of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (WSAI), the Robert Bosch Centre for Data Science & Artificial Intelligence (RBCDSAI) and the Centre for Responsible AI (CeRAI) at IIT Madras.

According to his official profile, Ravindran received his PhD from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and his Master's degree from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He is an elected fellow of the Association for the Advancement of AI (AAAI) and the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE).

"We are taking an important step to help ensure Artificial Intelligence serves all of humanity. I have just submitted for the consideration of the General Assembly a list of 40 distinguished individuals from every region to serve on the new Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence," Guterres said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

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2,600 applications shortlisted

He said the panel is a direct response to the mandate given by Member States in the Pact for the Future to strengthen multilateral solutions for emerging technologies that are reshaping every aspect of people's lives. "It will be the first global, fully independent scientific body dedicated to helping close the AI knowledge gap and assess the real impacts of AI across economies and societies," Guterres said.

Emphasising that the world needs shared understandings to build effective guardrails, unlock innovation for the common good, and foster cooperation, Guterres said the Panel will help the world separate fact from fakes, and science from slop. It will provide an "authoritative reference point" at a moment when a reliable, unbiased understanding of AI has never been more critical.

Following an open global call that drew more than 2,600 applications, Guterres said he has proposed to the General Assembly a list of 40 individuals with "deep expertise across disciplines – including machine learning, data governance, public health, cybersecurity, childhood development, and human rights."

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Global Dialogue on AI Governance in July

The members of the Panel will serve in their personal capacity – independent of any government, company, or institution. The Panel's first report is expected in time to inform the Global Dialogue on AI Governance in July, he said.

"At a time of deep geopolitical tension and growing technological rivalry, we urgently need common ground – and a practical basis for cooperation based on science and solidarity. That is what this Panel can help deliver," he said.

The secretariat of the Panel will be coordinated by the Secretary General's Special Envoy on Technology, Amandeep Singh Gill. Gill said that the candidates were shortlisted based on their "outstanding expertise" in Artificial Intelligence as well as in the adjacent areas of applications where the impact is being felt.

"So an interdisciplinary perspective was adopted in terms of these assessments," Gill said. Highlighting the Panel's gender balance, Gill said the grouping includes 19 women and 21 men, "all outstanding individuals whose expertise is globally recognised".

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Experts named to the Panel hail from Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Canada, Mexico, Egypt, Iran, South Korea, Finland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, Japan, Russia, Germany, Israel, Italy and China.

Philippines-born journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa American and Professor Vipin Kumar of the US are among the panel members. The Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies, the International Telecommunication Union and UNESCO presented a long list of members for the Panel, which then went through another set of reviews by the entire UN system, Gill said.