IE University organizes a meeting between the academic community and the UN’s Independent International Scientific Panel on AI

In February 2026, the United Nations General Assembly founded the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence. This scientific body, responsible for carrying out evaluations about the risks, opportunities and social impact of AI, visited IE Tower to participate in a meeting with the academic community.

The objective of the event, promoted by IE University, was to encourage debate on artificial intelligence and underline the role of universities as a link between science, technology and public policy.

This was the first in-person meeting of the Panel, which comprises 40 experts from different disciplines and regions worldwide. The Panel is jointly chaired by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa, a Filipino journalist and global defender of human rights and information integrity, and the winner of the 2018 Turing Award, Canadian computer scientist Yoshua Bengio. Bengio is a professor at the University of Montreal and the most-cited living researcher in the world.

IE University Rector Manuel Muñíz opened the session with a few words. During his speech, he emphasized that "aligning scientific knowledge, public policies and education will be essential to ensure that artificial intelligence makes our societies more open, inclusive and prosperous."

Panel members then participated in a symposium with faculty members from the university, focusing on the challenges this technology presents at the regulatory, scientific and social levels. The meeting also addressed issues such as public trust in AI and its long-term impact on the community.

Amandeep Singh Gill, United Nations Under-Secretary-General, thanked IE University for having launched this space for reflection: "The Panel's work benefits precisely from this type of exchange with the academic community, with researchers and with institutions that are training the next generation of leaders."

The Panel is currently working on preparing its first report, an assessment of AI’s risks and opportunities, which will be published in July. This study’s findings will be discussed in Geneva at the Global Dialogue on AI Governance.