digitalswitzerland forum 2026: Wake-up Call to Bern for Digital Infrastructure and Kick-off for the "Road to Geneva"

The digitalswitzerland forum 2026 took place yesterday in Bern as one of the official events leading up to the AI Summit Geneva 2027 and on the "Road to Geneva." Federal Councillor Albert Rösti emphasized the opportunities of AI and Switzerland's role as the host of the summit: "The Geneva AI Summit 2027 is a huge opportunity for Switzerland. The crucial thing is that we seize this opportunity now: The foundations are laid, the finances should come together, and the organization is underway. Switzerland's ambitions are by no means too small. We are deliberately aiming for a high-profile conference with the leading experts and decision-makers from various countries in order to achieve genuine substantive results."

Regarding regulation, the head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) advocated for the proven "Swiss path": "A very strict overarching law carries the risk that, while it protects us, it simultaneously hinders innovation. Switzerland is the most innovative country because we have comparatively lower levels of regulation. We must absolutely maintain this, even when it comes to AI. This should ideally be a path without state intervention here."

Swiss AI Action Plan and Global Positioning

One year after its launch, digitalswitzerland presented an update on the Swiss AI Action Plan with tangible measures: Over 500 experts from business, science, and public administration have developed 23 concrete actions.

"When we look at the world, we see different strategies: The US focuses on expanding its supremacy, the EU on risk minimization and regulation, the UK on security, and Singapore on education," said Franziska Barmettler, CEO of digitalswitzerland. "The Swiss path should build on our existing strengths and the preservation of Swiss values such as trust and reliability."

The ETH project Apertus and digitalswitzerland's official partner event at the Geneva AI Summit 2027 were presented at the forum as concrete Swiss contributions to the global AI ecosystem: At CERN, the umbrella organization will bring together business, science, and politics at a major event.

Wake-up Call to Bern: Digital Infrastructure and Power Supply

Alongside the optimism, digitalswitzerland also directed an appeal to the Swiss Parliament not to neglect digital infrastructure in the context of the current budget debates. Switzerland has invested over 180 million francs in the e-ID and the trust infrastructure swiyu.

"We need a wake-up call in Bern. Securing investments in fundamental digital infrastructures, from the e-ID to data standards to digitalization in healthcare, is not negotiable," said Franziska Barmettler.

Federal Councillor Albert Rösti also highlighted the role of the energy supply: "The objective in the infrastructure department is clear: We must reliably ensure a future-proof digital infrastructure in Switzerland. Sufficient electricity will be the absolutely decisive component. At the same time, we imperatively need AI in the energy sector itself to optimize the decentralized grid and reduce costs. Switzerland is an outstanding AI location, partly because we are securing our power supply."

Andreas Meyer, President of digitalswitzerland, emphasized at the event: "Digital transformation requires bold, joint investments from the federal government and the private sector. This is the only way we can secure our location's self-determination and prevent unwanted dependencies."

Public Service, Democracy, and AI Literacy

Another highlight was the keynote by SRG Director General Susanne Wille on the role of the media in the AI age. "Trust is the currency of journalistic media and the public service media company SRG. To navigate today's abundance of information and recognize fakes, the population needs media and AI literacy. A reliable, digital public service belongs to the security infrastructure of our country just like water and energy," Wille said.

To strengthen societal support for AI, digitalswitzerland, in collaboration with SRG SSR, the Federal Chancellery, and other partners, announced the launch of a nationwide AI Literacy Campaign for 2027. Guided by the compass "Understand – Use – Reflect," the goal is to reach over one million citizens to anchor practical AI skills and critical reflection in the direct democracy.

High-resolution images of the event can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/194426199@N08/albums/72177720335646921