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In September 2024, the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence proposed seven coordinated mechanisms to make global AI governance more inclusive and effective. The report did not call for a single world regulator. Since then, the General Assembly has established two of its central proposals—the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance—while the Dialogue remains a forum for cooperation, not regulation or enforcement.
What the UN experts recommended
The 39-member Advisory Body, convened in October 2023, delivered its final report, Governing AI for Humanity, in September 2024. Its members served in their personal capacities and brought perspectives from government, the private sector, civil society, and other fields. The report proposed a distributed set of light, agile mechanisms to complement existing national, regional, and international initiatives—not a new global authority with power to license or police AI.
The recommendations were organized around common understanding, common ground, common benefits, and coherent effort:
| Proposed mechanism | Intended function | Status confirmed by current UN material |
|---|---|---|
| International Scientific Panel on AI | Build a shared understanding of AI capabilities, opportunities, risks, and impacts through evidence-based assessment. | Established by the General Assembly in 2025. |
| Global Dialogue on AI Governance at the UN | Bring governments and stakeholders together to discuss governance in relation to international norms and principles, including human rights. | Established by the General Assembly in 2025; its first annual Dialogue took place in July 2026. |
| AI Standards Exchange | Foster technical compatibility by sharing standards and related work. | Proposed in the 2024 report; current UN material cited here does not establish it as a functioning mechanism. |
| AI Capacity Development Network | Build expertise and capacity, particularly in developing countries. | Proposed in the 2024 report; current UN material cited here does not establish it as a functioning mechanism. |
| Global Fund for AI | Help bridge the AI divide and support AI applications for the Sustainable Development Goals. | Proposed in the 2024 report; current UN material cited here does not establish it as a functioning mechanism. |
| Global AI Data Framework | Support local AI ecosystems. | Proposed in the 2024 report; current UN material cited here does not establish it as a functioning mechanism. |
| AI office in the UN Secretariat | Connect and coordinate the proposed elements and advise the Secretary-General. | Proposed in the 2024 report; current UN material cited here does not establish it as a functioning mechanism. |
The report’s basic argument was that AI governance should not depend only on market forces or fragmented national and multilateral action. It also called on governments and stakeholders to protect and promote human rights. Its stated optimism about AI’s potential was conditional on taking risks and weaknesses in existing structures seriously.
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How the UN developed the report
The UN reported that the Advisory Body’s work drew on consultations across regions: more than 2,000 participants, 18 deep-dive discussions with experts, and more than 50 consultation sessions. It also received more than 250 written submissions from over 150 organizations and 100 individuals. These are process figures reported by the UN in 2024; they describe how the report was developed, not proof that its recommendations had consensus or that governance outcomes improved.
What happened after the 2024 report
The Global Digital Compact, adopted in September 2024 alongside the Pact for the Future, set out an intergovernmental framework for global digital cooperation that includes AI governance. On 26 August 2025, the General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/79/325 by consensus, establishing the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance. These steps carried forward two major ideas from the Advisory Body’s proposal, but do not establish that all seven recommended mechanisms were implemented.
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The Scientific Panel: evidence and assessment
The Panel is tasked with producing annual, evidence-based assessments of AI opportunities, risks, and impacts. Its role is to improve shared understanding, rather than to make binding rules or enforce them. Its remit is focused on civilian AI; it is distinct from the broader policy discussion assigned to the Global Dialogue.
The Global Dialogue: policy exchange and cooperation
The first annual Global Dialogue took place in Geneva on 6–7 July 2026. The UN describes it as a place for governments and stakeholders to share practices, build common ground, and support implementation. It complements other institutions and processes; it is not a regulatory or enforcement body.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the recommendations mean for global AI governance
The seven proposals address different gaps, so their significance is in how they could work together: evidence can inform policy discussions, dialogue can help identify shared principles, standards work can improve technical compatibility, and capacity-building, financing, and data measures can help broaden participation and benefits. The proposed UN office would have helped connect those strands. The report presented this as an international architecture built around cooperation, not a transfer of global regulatory power to the UN.
For readers tracking what exists now, the key distinction is institutional status: the General Assembly formally established the Panel and Dialogue, while the other five mechanisms remain recommendations in the 2024 report on the basis of the UN material cited here. The resulting UN arrangements sit within a wider landscape of national, regional, and multilateral AI governance efforts.
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Sources and further reading
- United Nations: AI Advisory Body final report and consultation summary
- United Nations Digital Library: Governing AI for humanity, final report
- Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message launching the report, 19 September 2024
- United Nations: Global Digital Compact
- United Nations: Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and Global Dialogue on AI Governance
- United Nations: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Associated Press, Edith M. Lederer, report coverage, 20 September 2024
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