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We are happy to share a guest blog from one of our Digital Day partner organizations, Elefteria Xekalakis Matthys from Admeira, addressing one of the Digital Day themes: Media & News
Digitalisation is bringing about major changes in the media sector. Content is no longer consumed only on the radio, television and newspapers but on virtually any device and from various sources, regardless of time and place. In the next five years, media use will continue to shift to the digital age and will become more and more mobile. Our recent study on media use demonstrates this as well as other key findings.
We are now used to our smartphones and tablets, and these devices have more and more functionalities. A phone is no longer just a phone, it’s a control centre. Lights and ventilation systems can be controlled through your smartphone. Apps can show us what’s in our fridge and create grocery lists with missing items. And you can do more than just watch TV with your TV. Pause, record and repeat are all possible, as are video calls, surfing, streaming and gaming. Thank you digitalisation.
New devices are changing our homes and how we’ll live in the future. A new trend is virtual assistants, created to make our lives easier. They listen to our commands and search the internet, radio, and television for information. Digitalisation enables a tailor-made programme, using analog products.
Despite digitalisation, the printed press still plays an important role. Newspapers and magazines still enjoy a high level of consumer confidence, as demonstrated in our study on “Media of the Future”. Two thirds of respondents between the ages of 15 and 59 say that a thriving society needs good journalists and newspapers. Today, printed products are being used in more and more hybrid ways. Key is offering a format that is most convenient for consumers and that is best suited to the type of content. This can be a print newspaper or a message from a news channel that reaches you via email or social media.
Devices connect automatically with each other. Innovation is happening at a rapid pace and with tremendous dynamism. Our living rooms are more and more connected – and our devices have more and more functionalities. This also affects how we use media: text, images and sound mix into new forms, which we intuitively use. Digitalisation offers new possibilities in the media sector: we no longer consume content on TVs, radios and newspapers, but on virtually any device, regardless of time and place. The motto is: “Anything, anytime, anywhere.”
Flexibility is an important factor. Four out of ten respondents would like the media to be even more flexible so that they can decide what, when and where they consume content. Media use will continue to shift to digital over the next five years and is likely to become even more mobile. An important driver of this trend is the “moving image”: video streaming is in high demand and will continue to gain in importance in the future.
Digitalisation also means an almost unmanageable wealth of information, especially in the media sector. It is not easy to keep track and find the content you want. That is why it is so important to have “lighthouses” in this sea of information that offer guidance. More than half the consumers between the ages of 15 and 59 seek guidance in this overwhelming media offer by trusting familiar media brands.
We are happy to share a guest blog from one of our Digital Day partner organizations, Yves Froppier from Gfi Switzerland, addressing one of the Digital Day themes: Health
Patients are becoming more and more actors of their own health, thanks to digital technology, and their relationship with health professionals is evolving, according to Jean-François Penciolelli, Director Public Sector at Gfi Informatique, and Julian Rioche doctoral student.
Economic changes and the arrival of internet have profoundly transformed the health sector. Sharing information has become easier and more accessible to all. Today, it is possible to access medical information online via social platforms and networks, which facilitates interactions between patients and healthcare professionals. Patients use social networks and communities to interact with other patients and explain their illnesses to others. Telemedicine platforms integrated with connected objects are enriching a vast communication system in the health sector. This wealth of information is disrupting healthcare, and patients are becoming real actors in their own health.
Patients are now better involved, and are harnessing new digital tools, like connected objects, that create new ways for patients to collaborate. Through social networks and communities, patients can help each other understand their illnesses and find better treatment. This can have a profound influence on a patient’s behaviour and health. Apps can change people’s behaviours through the ongoing collection of data and real-time recommendations. This can be reinforced through advice from healthcare or wellness professionals. Prevention becomes more natural. Patients seek information to better understand their illness, and determine which treatment to receive thanks to different digital media. Some patients even become experts on their illnesses. This is especially true with chronic illnesses.
Patients see themselves as unique and demand a personalised treatment plan that takes into consideration their history, lifestyle and habits. One important trend in patient behaviour are the nomadic patients, who require treatment plans that adapts to their situation, with a “ubiquitous” medical record, always available. These nomadic patients favour user experience over technology. They see themselves as “decision-makers”. They want to be informed and have a say in their treatment. They want to follow the evolution of their treatment to make their own diagnosis and take appropriate action. The biggest trend in telemedicine is patients are taking a more active role and are becoming more independent in their treatment journey. If this behaviour becomes more common, the healthcare sector will have to find new ways to provide greater support in times of crisis. We will have to create a framework that goes beyond medical emergencies, and provides ongoing and non-intrusive monitoring.
We are happy to share a guest blog from one of our Digital Day partner organizations, Annalisa Job, Adecco Group Switzerland, addressing one of the Digital Day themes: Work 4.0
The increased interconnectedness of machines and humans in supply chains and production processes is transforming the work place. New tools are changing entire work processes and require more mental work than manual labour. The “skill mismatch” between vacancies and competencies available on the market is intensifying against a backdrop of demographic change in Switzerland.
The digitalisation and automation of the work place is creating anxiety about what jobs will be left for people. It is true that machines are cheaper, they don’t take breaks or holidays, they don’t get sick, they don’t chat with colleagues and they don’t check their smartphones. These fears of robots replacing humans are largely unfounded: machines need humans, and many people are looking for less repetitive jobs.
Automation and digitalisation will impact Switzerland, but to a lesser degree than neighbouring countries. According to Ernst & Young, 52 percent of the Swiss workforce is currently employed in knowledge-intensive jobs. These jobs have already stood the test of time and adapted to new technologies. They are unlikely to disappear as a result of automation.
The study also shows that digitalisation and automation will create over 270,000 new jobs in Switzerland by 2025.A UBS study reveals that Switzerland will be unable to fill over 480,000 positions in the next 10 years due to shortages of specialised experts. The country will find it twice as challenging to bridge the gap as the Swiss labour market is already operating at near full employment.
New forms of employment like work 4.0 and the augmented workforce will need to help where certain skillsets are missing. This will require bringing in experts from outside the company to meet specific performance needs. The use of freelancers, short-term workers and crowd-workers will better meet the demand for more flexible, cheaper and faster delivery of services.
In Switzerland, more and more self-employed professionals work on assignment-based projects. The national social security system will have to adapt to meet the needs of this new category of professionals. New frameworks like digital signatures and interfaces must also improve to allow these new forms of employment to develop and thrive.
Switzerland is at the beginning of an uncertain journey into the digital future. Survival will require a continuous debate and an astutness for innovation. The advent of a digital economy and society requires the courage to face change and the ability to let go of old systems. Today, the government and businesses are focusing on retraining. Employees will have to learn to move with the flow of change and not swim against the current.
Switzerland is the first country in Europe to dedicate an entire day to foster a dialogue about the opportunities and challenges of digitalization across economy, science, politics, academia and the public: the Digital Day. The second edition will take place on October 25; more than 70 partner organizations and cantons, and 3 Federal Councillors will join forces. But do we need such a Day? And why? Birgit Pestalozzi, our Head of Public Dialogue & Digital Day has some answers.
We are experiencing a revolution: digitalisation is changing so many aspects of our lives: From the way we travel, to how we work, communicate and live. This leaves us with uncertainty and many open questions. Tackling these open questions is one goal of the upcoming Digital Day.
Digital transformation or digitisation is a fact and already a reality today, the recent past and will stay here for the future. digitalswitzerland is convinced that it brings both opportunities and challenges – as in every previous revolution. So the real question that we need to answer as a society, economy, government and on an individual level is what will we make of it and how can we embrace the manifold opportunities while at the same time overcoming the challenges ahead?
That’s why establishing a dialogue with the Swiss population is so important, which is precisely what the Digital Day seeks to achieve. During the nationwide day of action, experts will personally guide people through the digital world, answer questions and make the many facets of digitalisation tangible. In Zurich, for example, you will have the chance to learn about a robot that enables a sick girl to attend her school classes; you will learn about Big Data and Artificial Intelligence; and you’ll hear about drones made in Switzerland that support rescue missions all around the globe. At the same time, Yverdon in Western Switzerland will turn into a cyber security hub, to showcase the potential of digital transformation and learn the basics of data security and data protection both at home and at work.
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We are happy to share a guest blog from one of our Digital Day partner organizations, Tanja Kammerman from Swisscom, addressing one of the Digital Day themes: Mobility
What does the life of a mobile person look like in 2030? We suggest two possible scenarios.
Nicolas Altenberger is a 35 years old living in Zurich. Today, he is meeting a customer on the other end of town. He uses an app to check whether his favourite car pool is available and requests a pick-up at his house. An existing plug-in ensures the car arrives already pleasantly heated, despite the cold temperatures outside. Nicolas unlocks the car with his mobile phone. As he drives, he joins a conference call. On the motorway, he is surrounded by other autonomous vehicles, driving in dense platoons one behind the other. There is only one person in each car. Driving is much cheaper these days because it’s become so much more efficient. After reaching the motorway, Nicolas finds himself stuck in traffic. Unfortunately, this happens often.
He is two hours late for his meeting by the time he arrives. The vehicle has no trouble finding the customer’s exact location. The delay gives Nicolas plenty of time to prepare for the meeting. Advertising regularly pops up on his mobile phone screen, car suppliers use his data to send him targeted messages. After his meeting, Nicolas gets into a preheated car and heads back to his company headquarters. On the way, he has lunch and takes care of his emails and phone calls. An hour later, he is dropped off in front of the entrance and the vehicle automatically finds a parking spot in the multi-storey car park nearby.
Nicolas sits in his open-plan office. In the afternoon, his favourite retailer delivers his groceries to his car, along with parcels from the post office and other suppliers. In the evening, he uses a remote control to bring the car to the front of the building – of course pleasantly preheated. On his way home, he relaxes in the back seat with an episode of his favourite series on Netflix. He’s once again stuck in traffic. Advertising continues to pop up on his phone. At home, he locks the car with his smartphone. It drives itself to the underground garage of the car pool provider. Tomorrow, Nicolas wants to take the day off. On his car pool app, he sees that a sleek sports convertible is available – at a ridiculously low price.
Nicolas Altenberger is a 35 years old living in Zurich. Today, he is meeting a customer on the other end of town. Nicolas walks to his favourite co-working space just around the corner. The office is fully equipped with the technology to hold his customer meetings via video conference call. The experience is almost as good as being there in person. Through large glass panes he has a beautiful view outside. People are walking, cycling or using small vehicle-like devices. You can see electric scooters, Segways, new micro-mobiles and e-bikes.
Anytime Nicolas needs to go shopping, work, see a doctor or handle administrative work, he always asks himself whether he needs to be there in person or whether he can carry out these activities virtually. Cars are electric, autonomous and shared, and there are fewer and fewer of them on the road. Lisbon has calculated, for example, that today’s traffic could be handled by 10 percent of the vehicles. There is no longer a need for roadside parking. The freed up space is now available for active traffic. Nicolas loves to cycle through Zurich now.
After lunch, Nicolas strolls to the nearest micro-hub to pick up a parcel. These are pick-up and drop-off stations. By walking the final mile to the station instead of receiving the parcel at home, delivery traffic has been eliminated. He no longer needs to buy items overseas, he can 3D print them himself at the shop around the corner. In the afternoon, he works from home as his laundry basket is overflowing. In the evening, he wants to go to a festival with friends. They share a taxi and ensure it is filled to optimal capacity with other people joining their ride. When they book the taxi through the app, they can select whether they want to ride with more extroverted or introverted people.
At digitalswitzerland, we are looking more and more beyond our borders and developing new activities to enhance our international visibility and connectivity. Our aim is to increase awareness of the Swiss innovation ecosystem abroad and to connect and collaborate with other global innovation hubs.
Last week, I joined a panel at the Forum on Inspiring Innovation: Deep Tech organised by Bloomberg Government and Switzerland Global Enterprise. It was a great opportunity to discuss ecosystems, trends in deep technology and characteristics of the Swiss ecosystem.
San Francisco, Berlin and London usually come to mind when we think of technology and innovation ecosystems. New York is more associated with the “solid but old economy”. This impression might need some updating, let me explain why:
Iynna Halilou, Global Programs Manager at Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator NY believes “we will start seeing more tech-focused innovation focused on solving pressing social issues (e.g a broken mass transit system; housing crisis; access to capital for underprivileged communities, immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees etc.). It is not surprising that we see these solutions coming out of New York, the nature of this city, being so diverse, it has always been an example when it comes to leading change and embracing inclusiveness.”
New York is not only an impressive corporate centre but also one of the most promising and exciting tech hubs to watch in the coming years. My special appreciation goes to the Swiss Innovation Hub in New York for providing much of the data on this ecosystem.
According to Switzerland Global Enterprise, there are about 18 Swiss start-ups active in New York City and 29 in the San Francisco Bay area. The actual number could in fact be twice as high. Swiss start-ups in New York raised an average of $11.03 million, with high variances across industries and stages of development. Swiss presence in the New York start-up environment is relatively recent.
A good start, although numbers are still quite low. So why should Swiss start-ups go to New York? Here are some reasons:
According to Caroline Blaser from the Swiss Business Hub New York “New York has one of the world’s strongest financial ecosystems with a growing venture capital and technology scene. With 52 Fortune 500 companies headquartered here, the globally minded business environment offers great opportunities for start-ups to develop their business. In addition, companies find the time zone ideal making it easy to stay connected with their teams and stakeholders in Europe.”
Not everything is perfect in New York though; the tech and digital ecosystem also have some challenges:
I’m convinced that both ecosystems, New York and Switzerland, can benefit from greater synergies. I was impressed by the quality and growth of the New York ecosystem. Switzerland also has strong assets and both hubs could generate higher output by working together. A few suggestions and examples:
Let’s continue exploring new ways of intensifying exchanges between New York and Switzerland. Both ecosystems will benefit from deepening this collaboration. If you have any suggestions on how we can work together in the future, like establishing an official corridor (MoU, etc), please contact me at nicolas@digitalswitzerland.com.
We are happy to welcome Manuel Weber, Particle Physicist and Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University, as a guest on our blog.
With the rise of artificial intelligence, or AI, our world is changing and it may seem to come straight out of a science fiction movie what these systems can do already. At the same time, the technology is still very immature and we’re only starting to explore its full potential. The ‘intelligence’ in AI should probably be considered an overstatement as we’re still far from building truly intelligent systems. Currently, what we call AI is more properly described as deep learning and an attempt to mimic the functionality of the brain with self learning computer algorithms that consist of millions of neurons, hence the name artificial neural network. The success of these algorithms is largely due to the shear amount of data we produce every day. Every picture we upload to Facebook or Google, every conversation we have with Siri and every click within that online store we like so much, helps these networks learn from more data and therefore become smarter. And it gets event better: Today AI makes cars drive by themselves or help doctors diagnose diseases.
The immense potential of AI has led the big companies to invest a lot of money in further developing the technology and make it accessible to a broader audience. It is for this very reason these techniques are now making their way into fundamental sciences. For researchers in particle physics, like myself, this is nothing new though. The idea of using artificial neural network to disentangle specific detector signals was already applied 30 years ago and more recent discoveries, including the Higgs particle, made extensive use of AI. Advancements in computer vision, through the use of neural networks, have led particle physicists to rethink their approach to analyzing the huge amount and complex data. To put it in perspective: Experiments at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva produce more data in an hour than Facebook in a year. A recent challenge on Google owned platform Kaggle asked AI experts around the world to tackle this problem and granted $25’000 for the three best teams. Similar challenges in the past have produces some very impressive improvements in AI.
There is an extensive potential for AI to become a standard tool for scientists in many different areas. At the cutting edge of scientific discoveries innovative approaches are necessary. There is an increasing amount of publications, which demonstrate the use of AI in their research. My own research team at Stanford University has just shown how AI provides a legitimate alternative to classical analysis methods in our latest publication. And the results are remarkable. Other particle physicists are on the same quest as a recent article in the Nature magazine summarizes.
We are in the middle of technological revolution and AI experts are not shy to call it the new electricity. As with every new technology, we need to learn how to live with it and use it to our advantage. As for science: I hope we’ll see some exciting new advancements by incorporating AI into our research and make many new discoveries.
We are happy to welcome Jonas Nakonz, Project Manager Policy Kitchen @foraus – Swiss Forum on Foreign Policy as a guest on our blog.
What started as an ambitious digitalswitzerland bet by foraus – Swiss Forum on Foreign Policy and the Digital Society Initiative of the University of Zurich – to solve pressing global issues collaboratively with a global ‘crowdsourced think tank’ – has left the prototype stage. foraus and the Engagement Migros development fund launched the pioneering platform Policy Kitchen on 15 September 2018 in Lausanne, with a pilot campaign to tackle global loss of biodiversity.
Policy Kitchen is a crowd-innovation platform, which enables a diverse network of thinkers and practitioners from all over Switzerland and the world to co-create solutions for global political challenges. The platform is open for everyone and uses the power of collective intelligence; it provides the users with the opportunity to develop constructive solutions outside established political mechanisms. The software is made available to the public as open source code, to support other actors in adopting participative methods in their respective fields.
«At the first stage we gather ideas – online and at physical workshops», explains Jonas Nakonz, project manager of Policy Kitchen. «After this, the ideas are collaboratively refined on the platform and author teams are consolidated. The best ideas are then pre-selected by the crowd and finally chosen by a high-level jury. The winning ideas get to be translated into “Policy Recipes”, which then will be served to decision makers.»
The model is now tested in the real world, with a digital campaign and workshops in 7 cities in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany (public and free, sign up here). In future iterations, it will be extended to the foraus global network of open think tanks and additional partners. New challenges are already in the pipeline, for example on exploring the potential for an AI strategy for Switzerland (in partnership with swissnex San Francisco).
Policy Kitchen’s first campaign focuses on biodiversity preservation. Ecosystem decline is among the biggest threats for the survival of mankind. It is a highly complex global issue that is marginalized in the political agenda. The campaign aspires to stimulate solutions with a focus on global governance, trade policy and development cooperation. Ideas for this first challenge can be submitted onto the platform by everyone until 31 October 2018, where they are later refined, selected and converted by the platform users as well as experts into clear – cut “Policy Recipes”.
The project is supported by Engagement Migros. Alexandra Müller-Crepon, project manager of Engagement Migros, is proud that the development fund is the main supporter of this project: «Policy Kitchen is a project that utilises digital innovation for finding solutions to global challenges. The platform is original, bottom-up and society-driven. It is a model for future policy making.» Policy Kitchen is a three – year project with the aim of creating impact on policy-making and collaboration in Switzerland and abroad.
The platform is available via this link: www.policykitchen.com
If you are interested in more updates on the digitalswitzerland challenge, remember to sign up to our newsletter!
Switzerland must play a worldwide leading role in digital transformation. So far, Switzerland has proved that it can democratically legitimize technological and social change. This is a central prerequisite for the population to communicate this change and recognize the great potential and opportunities in digitalisation.
It is important that the actors of digital transformation, the digital shapers, are in constant dialogue with the population. They focus on the opportunities, potential and challenges facing Switzerland in the coming years.
Regulation must primarily allow new ideas instead of protecting existing business models. Applicable laws should be tested for their suitability for digital transformation.
Data is part of Switzerland’s infrastructure, such as road, railways and power networks, and is of great value. The government and the economy are obliged to generate added value from these data. Moreover, the state must play a pioneering role with its data.
Education and creativity are Switzerland’s raw materials. Already children should create and learn how to create digital content.
Teachers should be trained and educated accordingly.
Switzerland has to become the world’s leading research location for the digital transformation. For this purpose the federal government should provide two billion Swiss francs to ETH Zurich and EPF Lausanne for the next ten years.
New ideas must not be taxed before they make profits. Founders, investors and employees who take a holding in a startup may not be disadvantaged against a classic investment on the capital market.
A private funded future-fund will enable sufficient capital and expert knowledge to be made available to the young companies.
Digital business models are international. Corporate strategies that stop at the national border have hardly any prospect.
The state must be a partner in digital change – analogous to the Scandinavian and Baltic states, where the digital exchange between citizens and administration has advanced. Major established companies have the task of cannibalizing their business models in the digital environment and supporting and promoting cooperation with startups.
The state must make labor markets more flexible in terms of working time and working models. The previous distinction between self-employed and not-self-employed workers must be dispensed in the future.
Switzerland is dependent on the best talents in the world, since the Swiss economy and science are highly specialized and schools and universities can not fully meet the needs.
If the stated requirements are met and implemented, Switzerland will be the number 1 in Europe in digital transformation.
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