UN scientific AI panel names Maria Ressa and Yoshua Bengio as co‑chairs

Steph, a UN staff member, said Wednesday that the Secretary‑General spoke to the newly formed independent international scientific panel on artificial intelligence and that the panel selected Maria Ressa and Yoshua Bengio as its first co‑chairs.

"The panel chose its first two co‑chairs, Maria Ressa of the Philippines, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and journalist, and Yoshua Bengio of Canada, professor at the Université de Montréal and founder of MILA," Steph said.

Steph said the body is a "first‑of‑its‑kind" independent scientific panel tasked with setting priorities and producing evidence‑based assessments to inform the first annual global dialogue on AI governance, co‑chaired by ambassadors from El Salvador and Estonia. She said the dialogue is expected to take place in Geneva over the summer and that the panel will focus on working methods and substantive assessment in the coming months.

Questions from reporters sought timing and location details; Steph deferred to colleagues for precise scheduling but confirmed the panel met and began laying groundwork.