The UN’s New AI Playbook
At CollectiveUP, we are committed to making digital transformation more inclusive, ethical, and collaborative. That is why we welcome the United Nations’ latest step towards shaping a global framework for artificial intelligence. On 18 August 2025, the UN General Assembly introduced a resolution that defines the terms for two complementary initiatives: the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence and the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance. Together, these two platforms are designed to put science and collaboration at the center of how the world approaches AI.
Independent International Scientific Panel on AI
The Independent Scientific Panel will bring together forty experts from around the globe, chosen for their knowledge and independence rather than for their institutional affiliations. Their task is to produce rigorous, evidence-based assessments of AI’s opportunities, risks, and impacts. This means the international community will finally have a scientifically credible baseline for policymaking, one that cuts through hype and ensures transparency. For CollectiveUP, this commitment to evidence resonates deeply with our mission to anchor digital innovation in solid, research-informed practice.
Global Dialogue on AI Governance
The Global Dialogue, on the other hand, creates a shared space for governments, industry, civil society, and academia to meet annually and explore how to govern AI in a safe, trustworthy, and inclusive way. The Dialogue will not only address issues like human oversight, transparency, and human rights, but it will also take on the hard questions of bridging digital divides. This includes capacity building in developing countries, improving access to high-performance computing, and supporting open-source models and data. For us, this reflects a vision of digital transformation that prioritizes equity and collective progress, values we champion every day when working with social economy organizations and SMEs.
Why it matters
The decision to hold the first high-level launch of the Dialogue during the upcoming UN General Assembly in September 2025, followed by meetings in Geneva in 2026 and New York in 2027, highlights the UN’s ambition to integrate this process into its existing global agenda. The work of the Panel and the Dialogue will directly feed into the Global Digital Compact review in 2027–2028. This creates a rare opportunity: the ability to embed inclusive and transparent AI governance into the very fabric of international digital policy.
At CollectiveUP, we see this as more than just a UN process. It is a signal to organizations, communities, and innovators worldwide that AI governance must be shaped collectively. We encourage our partners in the social economy, civil society, and the wider innovation ecosystem to engage with this process, whether by contributing expertise, sharing practical experiences, or supporting the participation of underrepresented voices.
This resolution is a milestone because it establishes two engines working in parallel: science to clarify what is happening, and dialogue to decide what to do about it. For CollectiveUP, this dual approach aligns perfectly with our belief that technology must serve people, and that governance must emerge from collaboration rather than isolation.
We will be following this process closely, and we will continue to connect our community to the opportunities it creates. The future of AI is not only about algorithms, it is about people, societies, and the choices we make together.
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