Geneva: An independent UN scientific committee has warned that the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) offers vast opportunities for development, but also poses mounting risks that demand effective global governance, according to the first global scientific report on AI.
According to Oman News Agency, the report was prepared by 40 independent scientists and experts from around the world. It will be presented to governments at the "First UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance" in Geneva on 6-7 July 2026, with a more comprehensive edition to follow next year.
The report highlights how the swift pace of AI development has begun to outstrip existing regulatory frameworks, underscoring the need for evidence-based policies and legislation. While AI promises benefits across many sectors, its rapid and unregulated expansion could affect mental health, social systems, the environment, and the control of highly autonomous systems.
Yoshua Bengio, co-chair of the committee, noted that evidence of deceptive behavior in AI systems is growing and emphasized that the scientific community cannot currently rule out serious harm, whether from the systems themselves or through misuse.
The report mentions that more than one billion people use conversational AI weekly, though adoption remains lower in developing countries. AI development is concentrated, with the US accounting for 75 percent of computing capacity in the top 500 AI supercomputers, while China accounts for 15 percent.
Furthermore, current AI models cover only a fraction of the world's 7,000 languages, which raises the risk of translation errors in sensitive areas such as health diagnoses and treatment.
The report also warns of growing risks including impacts on human rights, the environment, the misuse of deepfakes for illegal or misleading content, and the erosion of information credibility, public trust, and social cohesion. Most countries, including advanced economies, still lack the technical expertise to evaluate advanced AI models and participate effectively in developing international governance frameworks.