Governing Emerging Technologies Globally: An International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence as a Lever for Equitable AI Governance and Science Diplomacy?

International organizations are crucial for co-producing governance on global policy issues, particularly those related to emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI). As key players in science diplomacy, they play an essential role in addressing the transnational implications of AI, whereby the establishment of the International Scientific Panel on AI reflects growing calls for apolitical, globally informed expertise to guide global AI governance (United Nations AI Advisory Board, 2024). However, contributions from the fields of Science and Technology Studies and International Relations highlight that such panels are inherently political due to their hybrid nature and position within International Boundary Organizations (Lidskog and Sundqvist, 2015). In this context, expertise in emerging technology governance is often contested. Global AI governance is further complicated by challenges in convening and aligning the interests of diverse actors such as national governments, Big Tech, and civil society, amid salient issues such as the Global North-South divide and geopolitical tensions among AI leaders (e.g., US, China, EU). The concentration of AI capabilities in private industry adds complexity, raising issues of justice and power relations that demand careful examination. These dynamics underscore the need for critical inquiry into how an international scientific panel on AI can integrate diverse knowledge, interests, and values to promote equitable outcomes in AI governance. Using the theoretical frameworks of distributive, recognitional, and procedural equity, we explore how the unique challenges faced by an international scientific panel on AI and similar entities can be addressed while prioritizing equity. Specifically, this paper contributes to this discussion by examining the thematic and processual challenges of an international AI scientific panel in a two-stage process: Firstly, what lessons can be drawn from past international expert panels on global policy issues? And secondly, how might such a panel ensure equitable global AI governance? To address these questions, we utilize a literature review, an analysis of documents produced by relevant fora, and case studies of IPCC and IPBES, which are enriched by our experience with international expert panels for emerging technologies. Insights from this process are refined to inform a workshop utilizing the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to gather diverse perspectives on the research questions (McMillan et al., 2016). The results of these activities are synthesized and presented to produce lessons for institutional processes that can promote equity and justice in AI governance, focusing on mechanisms like knowledge management, stakeholder engagement, and anticipatory governance. This research will produce useful findings relevant to the operations of the proposed international scientific panel on AI by the UN Advisory Board, as well as critical reflections on the role of expertise in AI and emerging technology governance in general.