This week, digitalswitzerland and ETH Zurich brought together 70 representatives from business, science, and government at ETH AI Center to address the question:

How should Switzerland shape an innovation-friendly and pragmatic approach to AI governance in a rapidly evolving global landscape?

The timing could not be more relevant. With the EU AI Act now entering into force and Switzerland preparing to ratify the Council of Europe’s AI Framework Convention, we are in the process of defining our own way forward.

Event Highlights

  • Learnings from the EU AI Act
    Gabriele Mazzini, architect and lead author of the EU AI Act, shared unique insights into its development process, the trade-offs made along the way, and lessons for Switzerland.
  • The Swiss government’s perspective
    Andrin Eichin from the Federal Administration underlined Switzerland’s goals: strengthening the country as an innovation hub, safeguarding fundamental rights, and building public trust in AI.
  • Panel perspectives
    Experts from academia, industry and government Effy Vayena (ETH Zürich), Anne-Sophie Morand (Swisscom), Ladina Caduff (Microsoft) and Gabriele Mazzini debated the right balance between regulation and softer governance tools such as principles, standards and processes. They highlighted the importance of public-private collaboration in creating a common understanding and trust.

Conclusions

  • AI governance should treat AI not just as a risk, but as an opportunity and necessity for competitiveness, productivity, and sovereignty.
  • Switzerland should build on existing laws rather than reinventing the wheel, applying a “less is more” approach.
  • Effective governance requires evidence-based regulation: regulate the use of technology, not the technology itself.
  • The proposed Swiss approach is on the right track: pragmatic, technology-neutral, sector-specific and flexible.
  • The Swiss model should combine cross-sector regulation with non-binding measures (principles, standards, processes), shaped together with the private sector.
  • Successful AI governance depends on stakeholder dialogue, interdisciplinarity, and strong private-sector engagement.
  • Looking ahead, the AI Summit 2027 in Geneva will be a landmark moment in global AI governance, positioning Switzerland as a dynamic research and innovation hub. Active involvement — including financial support — from the private sector will be key to its success.

The discussion made clear that Switzerland has the potential to carve out a distinctive, forward-looking role in AI governance.

Find the presentation by Gabriele Mazzini below.

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