From AI to Gene Editing: WHO’s Renewed Science Council Prepares for Future of Health

The renewed membership reflects WHO’s focus on scientific excellence while giving attention to geographic diversity, gender balance and participation from younger generations.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has renewed its Science Council, bringing 21 scientists and experts from different regions, generations and fields of research into a group that will help the organization understand how rapidly changing science could reshape healthcare, disease prevention and public health around the world. The renewed membership arrives at a time when artificial intelligence, biotechnology, gene editing, synthetic biology, robotics and precision medicine are moving quickly from research environments into areas with direct implications for patients, health workers and national health systems.

The Council brings together expertise in public health, epidemiology, biomedical research, health systems, ageing, engineering, precision medicine and emerging technologies, giving WHO access to a broad range of scientific perspectives when assessing developments that may influence health in the years ahead. Members represent every WHO region, while two youth representatives have also joined the advisory body, expanding the range of experiences involved in conversations about scientific advances whose consequences could extend across generations.

Fast-Moving Science Is Creating New Possibilities and New Questions for Global Health

Scientific discoveries that once took years to move from laboratories toward practical applications can now develop at a much faster pace, making early assessment increasingly important for organizations responsible for guiding health policy. Artificial intelligence is already changing areas such as medical research and diagnostics, while gene editing, biotechnology, synthetic biology and robotics are opening possibilities that could alter how diseases are detected, prevented and treated, creating opportunities alongside questions about accessibility, safety, evidence and responsible use.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the current pace of scientific discovery as extraordinary, pointing to advances ranging from artificial intelligence and biotechnology to gene editing, synthetic biology and robotics. He said WHO is strengthening its ability to anticipate transformative developments and make sure scientific progress can be translated into better health for people everywhere, placing greater emphasis on looking beyond immediate health challenges toward technologies and discoveries that could influence healthcare for decades.

Independent Scientific Advice Will Help WHO Spot Emerging Risks and Opportunities

The Science Council will continue as WHO's principal external advisory body for high-priority scientific issues, breakthrough innovations and emerging technologies that have the potential to transform health outcomes worldwide. Its role involves providing independent strategic scientific advice while helping WHO recognize emerging trends, opportunities and risks early enough to understand how they could affect populations, health systems and future public health priorities.

That forward-looking role becomes especially important when innovations develop faster than traditional health systems, policies and regulatory structures can adapt, since governments may need reliable scientific guidance before a technology becomes widely adopted. Drawing knowledge from scientists working across multiple disciplines can give WHO a broader view of developments that might otherwise be examined separately, connecting discoveries in biomedical science or engineering with questions involving public health, ageing populations, health systems and equitable access to innovation.

Youth Voices Join a Council Designed to Reflect a Wider Scientific Community

The renewed membership reflects WHO's focus on scientific excellence while giving attention to geographic diversity, gender balance and participation from younger generations. Two youth representatives identified through the WHO Youth Council will contribute their perspectives to discussions about scientific developments that could shape the future of global health, bringing younger voices into decisions concerning technologies they may live with for much of their lives.

WHO created its Science Division and Science Council through its wider Transformation initiative, responding to the growing need for timely, independent and evidence-based scientific guidance for Member States. These mechanisms are designed to connect emerging knowledge with public health policy and practical action, helping decision-makers understand which discoveries could have meaningful health applications and which developments require closer examination before widespread adoption.

Renewing the Science Council strengthens that bridge between scientific discovery and global health decision-making at a moment when the boundaries of medicine and technology are changing rapidly. With specialists spanning established public health disciplines and emerging areas of innovation, WHO is positioning the Council to examine not only what science can make possible, but how those advances can be understood and applied in ways that improve health across countries, communities and generations.