Artificial intelligence in the ERI sector

Switzerland must use the potential of artificial intelligence as effectively as possible. Education, research and innovation play a central role here.

As an enabling technology, artificial intelligence (AI) is an essential factor in the ongoing digitalisation process. It provides significant potential for innovation and growth and has already been successfully deployed in a wide range of areas. The challenges remain significant, given the speed of development and AI's considerable application potential.

Education, research and innovation are central to the development, application and utilisation of these new technologies. They also play an important role in managing the societal, economic and political changes that artificial intelligence will bring.

The principles of Swiss education, research and innovation policy have also proven their worth in the field of artificial intelligence. This is particularly true of the bottom-up approach and the emphasis on technology-neutral policy. The permeable education system is also ideal for preparing people to successfully cope with structural change.

With support from the federal government, education, research and innovation players are undertaking a range of activities as part of a proactive approach to the issue. Priorities include:

  • The Swiss National Science Foundation supports artificial intelligence research through project funding, national research programmes NRP 77 and NRP 75 (complete) and the National Centre of Competence in Research in Digital Fabrication.
  • The federal government supports the IDIAP research institute, which specialises in artificial intelligence, as a research facility of national importance.
  • The Academies of Arts and Sciences support research and social debate on artificial intelligence through organisations such as the Artificial Intelligence Platform of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) and TA-Swiss, the Foundation for Technology Assessment.
  • ETH Zurich and EPFL both prioritise the field of artificial intelligence, including in their work with foreign partners such as the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS). The ETH AI Center acts as a central hub for AI research being conducted in ETH Zurich's 16 departments, while the AI Institute at EPFL plays a similar role. In total, more than 150 professorships at the two universities are linked to the AI field.
  • In their strategic planning for the years 2025–2028, higher education institutions are focusing on utilising the opportunities offered by digital change across the board. They are planning activities and investments in teaching, research and infrastructure, which will receive support from the federal government, e.g. in the form of project contributions.
  • EPFL and ETH Zurich began a unique joint venture, the Swiss Data Science Centre (SDSC), in 2017. The Paul Scherrer Institute joined the project in 2021. The SDSC aims to accelerate the use of data science and AI within the Swiss industrial sector and the Swiss academic community as a whole.
  • In compulsory education, the cantons hold responsibility for integrating AI into the curriculum. Syllabuses at all levels of the education system already incorporate the development of both digital skills and soft skills. In the field of vocational and professional education and training, the responsible bodies regularly evaluate the integration of new digital skills into the various study plans. Numerous providers are developing training programmes that integrate AI.
  • The specialist agency Educa, funded by SERI and the EDK, also focuses on data use and AI. Its objective is to support SERI and the EDK in developing a data utilisation policy within the framework of existing data protection (specifically focused on compulsory and upper-secondary level education).
  • The Leading House DUAL-T carries out research on the potential of learning technologies for VPET. It explores the learning activities that are relevant to the dual contexts of vocational education: the workplace and school.

Interdepartmental working group on AI in the Federal Administration

In 2019/2020, the interdepartmental working group (IDWG) on AI analysed the challenges that AI presents for the policy areas of the federal government. SERI led the project. In its report, the IDWG AI came to the conclusion that the Federal Administration largely recognises the challenges of artificial intelligence, and the responsible federal offices have initiated many measures to manage it. The report identified 37 priority action areas being addressed by the relevant authorities.

In order to ensure policy consistency across its various fields of activity, in November 2020 the Federal Council adopted guidelines for working with AI in the Federal Administration, which were drawn up by the IDWG AI under the leadership of SERI. The Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) will work with the federal offices concerned to ensure regular assessment of the application and further development of the guidelines. The Digitial Switzerland Strategy and the 2021–2024 Digital Foreign Policy Strategy serve as a frame of reference.

State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI

Innovation
Christian Busch