IIT – Madras professor B. Ravindran joins United Nations AI Scientific Panel

By R Anil Kumar

• IIT-M professor appointed to UN’s Independent International Scientific Panel on AI

• Professor B Ravindran from IIT Madras has joined the United Nations Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence

• This global panel comprises 40 leading experts. They will assess AI’s impact on lives and societies worldwide. Professor Ravindran expressed honor in representing India and the Global South

United Nations, February 24, 2026. Professor B Ravindran of the IIT, Madras here has been appointed to the United Nations Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, the city-based premier research institution said on Tuesday, February 24.

Ravindran currently serves as the Head of the Wadhwani School of Data Science and AI and is also the Founding Head of Centre for Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CeRAI) at IIT Madras.

The Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, established through the United Nations General Assembly Resolution in August 2025, serves as a global scientific body on AI, bringing together leading experts from diverse regions and disciplines to assess how AI is transforming lives and societies worldwide.

IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti expressed immense pride in the appointment of Ravindran.

“This panel is going to play a very important role in achieving the positive impact of AI on our world,” he said in a press release issued by IIT Madras.”

At the India AI Impact Summit 2026 held in Delhi last week, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, “Last year, the UN General Assembly took two decisive steps. First, creating an Independent International Scientific Panel on AI. I am happy to announce that the panel is now being appointed. These 40 leading experts from across regions and disciplines embody a clear message. AI must belong to everyone. I urge Member States and civil society to contribute to the panels’ work.

On his appointment, Professor Ravindran said, “AI is a generational technology, and it is affecting everybody, sometimes knowingly and often, even without their knowledge, that their lives are being touched by AI. So, the UN has now constituted at international panel of experts to look at the far-reaching implications of Artificial Intelligence.”

“I am very honoured to be representing India in this panel of experts and the voice of the Global South,” he added.