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How AI and fact-checking platforms can help to counter disinformation
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, disinformation presents one of the greatest threats to our democratic societies, according to the Global Risks Report 2024 published by WEF. Disinformation, often spread via social media and digital platforms, has the potential to distort public discourse and erode institutional credibility.
This issue has recently become even more pressing with Meta announcing the end of their third-party factchecking program for both Facebook and Instagram. With this decision, the company is following in the footsteps of Elon Musk’s X, which ditched their fact-checking program in favour of a feature called “Community Notes”.
In our recently published research paper “Countering Disinformation With a Focus on Fact-Checking and AI”, we explored how Switzerland can leverage its digital ecosystem to combat disinformation, particularly through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automated fact-checking.
Disinformation and Switzerland
In Switzerland, as in many other countries, there is a growing reliance on digital platforms for news consumption, especially among the younger population. Social media and online channels are becoming the primary sources of information. However, anyone can create and disseminate content online without verification or editorial oversight.
This issue amplifies the challenges associated with distinguishing between authentic/legitimate news and fake news. This shift away from traditional news outlets has increased the need for effective mechanisms to manage and mitigate the risks of false information, ensuring the public has access to reliable and accurate data.
What is Disinformation?
Disinformation involves the deliberate dissemination of false information intended to deceive the public. While disinformation poses global risks, Switzerland’s decentralised governance and reliance on public participation make it particularly vulnerable.
AI offers significant potential to detect and combat disinformation, but it is not without its limitations. Public scepticism regarding AI’s transparency, combined with a lack of AI-powered fact-checking tools, highlights the need for a holistic and multi-faceted approach.
AI and Disinformation Detection
AI has the potential to revolutionise fact-checking through Natural Language Processing (NLP), Machine Learning (ML), and even blockchain technology. These tools can process vast amounts of data, identify false information, and assist human fact-checkers in verifying claims faster and more accurately.
Such AI-driven systems are already proving effective in identifying harmful content that could otherwise spread unchecked. However, human oversight remains critical. While AI systems are good at sifting through large datasets, they struggle with nuanced content, including cultural differences, where human judgement is essential.
Without a human touch, automated fact-checking could risk false positives or fail to catch subtler forms of misinformation and disinformation.
The Role of Explainable AI (XAI)
One of the key recommendations outlined in our research paper is the adoption of Explainable AI (XAI)—a framework that ensures AI systems provide transparent, understandable explanations for their conclusions. This transparency is vital in building trust among users and the broader public.
As seen in the German DeFakts project, combining AI detection with human expertise helps explain why certain content is flagged as disinformation, increasing accuracy and fostering greater public trust.
Collaboration and Public Awareness
The fight against disinformation requires more than technological solutions; broad collaboration across sectors is important. The paper emphasises the importance of involving academia, media organisations, private companies, and government institutions to create comprehensive strategies.
Public awareness and education also play a central role in Switzerland’s efforts to build resilience against disinformation. By improving digital and media literacy, Switzerland can empower its population to critically evaluate the information they consume.
The paper recommends integrating digital literacy programs into school curricula and organising public workshops to raise awareness about disinformation.
Prebunking and the Importance of Education
A proactive approach known as prebunking—educating the public about common disinformation tactics before they encounter false information—can significantly reduce the impact of misleading content.
Programs like SSR SRG ’s “Newstest” and campaigns such as #UseTheNews are prime examples of initiatives that aim to enhance media literacy and help the public distinguish fact from fiction.
A Holistic Response: Education, Technology, and Regulation
To effectively counter disinformation, Switzerland must adopt a unified approach that combines AI-driven fact-checking, human oversight, public education, and cross-sector collaboration. As AI technologies continue to evolve, it is crucial to establish ethical guidelines and regulatory frameworks that safeguard transparency and prevent misuse.
One of the major concerns surrounding AI is its potential misuse, including biases in algorithmic decision-making and the risk of over-reliance on opaque systems.
To address these concerns, regulations should be put in place to ensure algorithmic transparency, data privacy, and accountability. For example, AI systems should be required to provide clear and understandable explanations for their decisions—such as those found in Explainable AI—so that users and regulators alike can scrutinise how conclusions were reached.
Building Resilience Through Digital Regulation
This is particularly important in disinformation detection, where false positives—wrongly labelling truthful content as disinformation—could have serious consequences for freedom of speech and the credibility of media outlets. Regulatory frameworks should also create safeguards for AI systems to prevent these risks.
Countries are moving toward more accountable digital spaces. In Switzerland, the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) is preparing a consultation on a draft legislation for early 2025: the New Federal Law on Communication Platforms and Search Engines (KomPG/LPCom).
The law seeks to give the Swiss population more rights vis-à-vis the significant communication platforms and enable them to demand transparency. Similarly, the EU Digital Services Act provides a model for holding platforms responsible for preventing the spread of disinformation through transparent and robust content moderation.
To build resilience and safeguard democratic values in the face of evolving disinformation threats, Switzerland can enhance digital literacy among its population as well as multi-stakeholder collaboration among economy, academia, civil society, and government.
AI, when combined with human oversight and transparent regulatory measures, will be an essential part of this unified approach.
Disinformation poses a growing threat to public trust and democracy in today’s digital age. Our latest study, “Countering Disinformation With a Focus on Fact-Checking and AI” explores innovative strategies to tackle this challenge, highlighting Switzerland’s potential to lead with its digital expertise and commitment to collaboration.
This comprehensive research examines different uses of artificial intelligence in detecting and debunking false information, while emphasising the vital role of human oversight, transparent AI, and public education. It also features actionable recommendations for governments, academia, and private sectors to unite efforts against disinformation.
Whether you’re interested in the ethical implications, regulatory frameworks, or the latest AI-powered solutions, the study “Countering Disinformation With a Focus on Fact-Checking and AI” provides a roadmap to strengthen digital resilience and restore trust in public discourse. Check out the full report to uncover how Switzerland—and the world—can effectively combat the spread of falsehoods.
It has now been more than six months after the launch of ChatGPT. Its widespread accessibility – thanks to so-called generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) such as Bard, Claude, Dall-E, or Midjourney – makes it one of the hottest digital topics of 2023. From geeks, to school teachers, to grandparents – everyone is talking about it. The opportunities AI brings are covered extensively in the press – as are the fears it raises. While AI has long been mastering everyday tasks, making scientific breakthroughs and developing creative solutions to the challenges of our time, its pace of development and its ability to learn autonomously are impressive. What does our (near) future look like with digital intelligence? Will AI one day also be able to think and act ethically? And what consequences would this have for us humans? Should we be optimistic or fearful? These are the questions we asked the attendees of our event “Künstlich und Intelligent?” held in collaboration with SRF in June 2023.
06.06.2023,SRF Event, künstlich und intelligent?06.06.2023,SRF Event, künstlich und intelligent?
People’s biggest fears about AI
One thing is clear: The public’s greatest fear about AI is that it can be misused. In fact, a lot of people realise the massive potential this technology represents, and how it can just as easily be used for the wrong purposes such as in cyberattacks, data manipulation, social media manipulation, hacking of information systems, hospitals or cars – just to name a few. In this sense, many have also raised fears regarding distortion of reality, misinformation, proliferation of fake news that can all have major implications for our democratic society. The threat of hidden manipulation by AI, lack of transparency over systems and algorithms are all growing concerns that will undoubtedly have to be addressed quickly. In addition, and similarly to other technologies, people have also questioned the responsibility and accountability in the development of AI.
Therefore, for many, adopting norms and regulations (as it is currently ongoing at the European level), including a framework favourable to the development of these technologies while limiting the risks of abuse was highlighted as approaches to reduce fears in the population.
06.06.2023,SRF Event, künstlich und intelligent?
The bright side of AI
Most people recognise the positive potential of AI. While they don’t expect to understand the technology in detail, they definitely hope to be able to use it to make their daily lives easier. The hope of increased productivity (i.e., reduce repetitive and less demanding intellectual tasks) was by far the most positive aspect shared by the attendees. Indeed, AI can be an enormous support tool, in particular at work, to simplify complex procedures and can surely increase creativity (i.e. video, image, text). Other people also noted how AI can open up new possibilities, such as further advances in science and research, support for global threats (e.g. sustainable solutions to climate change via intelligent irrigation systems).
06.06.2023,SRF Event, künstlich und intelligent?
How can our fears about AI be overcome ?
Humans have always adapted to new technologies. Nevertheless, the speed of technological change today is unprecedented. Trying to keep up with this pace can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed. It can even lead to fear – fear that technology could escape society’s control – as mentioned several times by the attendees. That is why we asked them what it would take to overcome their fears:
The most pressing need expressed was the need for transparency: most of the participants explained how transparent information, awareness and communication is essential to create understanding about how AI algorithms and systems are built and work. This is key to building trust. Another important need that was raised several times was education. Educating the population on how to make use of AI through learning, sharing of experiences, exploring, and in particular, promoting critical thinking skills. Others highlighted the need for governance and regulations to ensure responsible design and use of AI through means of international agreements, implementation of ethical filters and rules. Some attendees raised the need for verification mechanisms to prevent the spread of misinformation. This could, for example, be achieved through fact-checkers, or cross-referencing of other reputable sources.
What lies ahead
Overall, as with most new technological breakthroughs, there is always a period of adaptation before society accepts it, integrates it and benefits from its full potential. Many questions will remain open for now and will inevitably be addressed in the near future. From a societal perspective, one of the main challenges will be to ensure everyone has access to these new technologies as well as learning tools. Finally, one of the very specific characteristics of new, AI-driven, digital technologies is the speed of their deployment (ChatGPT has been used by more than a million people in about two months) and their transversality (i.e. the fact that they impact almost all aspects of our private and professional lives). One of the associated big challenges is to find adequate (legal and societal) adoption mechanisms able to efficiently cope with the speed and broadness of the ongoing changes.
It’s this time of the year again, where we search for this year’s 100 Digital Shapers. Thanks to our long-standing partnership with Bilanz, Handelszeitung and PME, and this year supported by Innosuisse – the Swiss Innovation Agency, we are able to celebrate these outstanding individuals once more. The 2023 edition of 100 Digital Shapers will be published in late August. Until then, our jury is putting their heads together to select the 100 Digital Shapers from the hundreds of nominations received earlier this year.
A dynamic digital landscape
In 2023, visionary entrepreneurs and digital business leaders have continued transforming Switzerland into a leading digital nation. Groundbreaking ventures drive innovation, bridge the gap between research and applications, and elevate Switzerland’s position as a digital powerhouse. We eagerly anticipate celebrating their outstanding achievements, recognising their transformative contributions to the nation’s thriving digital ecosystem.
And now it’s time for us to introduce you to our esteemed jury members, who with their unique skills, extensive knowledge and finger on the pulse of digital change, can appoint our winners.
Marc Kowalsky
Marc Kowalsky has been Deputy Editor-in-Chief at BILANZ, Switzerland’s biggest business magazine, for 15 years. His journalistic focus includes digitalisation, IT and telecoms as well as the startup scene. He has interviewed personalities such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Eric Schmidt. In the course of his career, he has written for Fortune Magazine, SPIEGEL and SPIEGEL Online, BILANZ Deutschland, Die Welt, Facts and Weltwoche, among others.
Stefan Metzger
Stefan Metzger is the Managing Director of digitalswitzerland. Until 2021, Stefan was the Country Managing Director of Cognizant Technology Solutions, responsible for the company’s business in Switzerland as well as the Market Leader for the Insurance Vertical across Continental Europe. Stefan has worked in the ICT Industry for more than 30 years, with focused experience in Insurance, Technology and Consulting. Prior to his current position, Stefan held various sales management and consulting roles at IBM Corporation across different countries, including Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Central Europe.
Thierry Vial
Thierry Vial has been editor-in-chief of the French-language business magazine PME for seven years. He studied political sciences at the University of Lausanne before working in asset management (BCV), then as an economic journalist for Bilan. He then managed Inédit Publications SA, an SME active in custom publishing, which belonged to the Gassmann group before joining PME.
Christian Wenger
With a doctoral degree in law from the University of Zurich and postgraduate studies at Duke University Law School, Dr. Christian Wenger is an experienced partner at Wenger Vieli, specialised in private equity, venture capital, and start-ups. Christian primarily supports and coaches entrepreneurs and founders in all kinds of legal and entrepreneurial matters. In 2011, he launched the Blue Lion incubator for start-ups. In spring 2017, he was elected to the Board of Trustees of the UZH Foundation of the University of Zurich. Christian is also Chairman of Swiss Entrepreneurs Fund, which created a Swiss fund for venture and growth capital.
Katrin Yuan
Katrin is a Council and Board Member of several mandates in Switzerland as well as in Germany. She holds a Master of Business Administration, multiple post-graduate certifications in business and IT and speaks six languages. Katrin is a Lecturer at the University of Technology Cologne and the Swiss Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences, lecturing the Masterclass Leadership in a Digital Age. She is an influential Keynote Speaker at corporate and industry conferences, encouraging AI, digital innovation, creativity and a data-driven approach.
Gabriele Dobenecker
Gabriele Dobenecker holds a Master in Computer Science from the University of Hamburg. She spent over 20 years in the IT and high-tech industries. At the beginning of 2007, she started at Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, heading their Marketing, Knowledge and Technology Transfer section. Today, Gabriele is responsible for Entrepreneurship & Industry Relations.
Alicia Mazzarella
Alicia Mazzarella is Head of Digital Strategy & Solutions for the World Economic Forum. In her role, she leads the strategy, implementation, and continuous improvement of internal digital platforms. Alicia has 25 years of international business experience with expertise in project and product management, digital implementation, and internal and external communications. Prior to the Forum, she led initiatives and operations for multinational, private equity, and startup organisations. Passionate about the intersection between people and technology, Alicia also serves on several digital and cultural task forces, including Future Skills and Future of Work.
Caroline Widmer
Caroline Widmer is the Director of -Pulse Incubateur HES, an incubator for talents coming from the six Universities of Applied Sciences of HES-SO Geneva. She previously held strategic positions in the public administration, in the areas of Security and Economic Development. She has conducted major digital transitions while also participating in the elaboration of the State of Geneva’s digital and innovation Policy.
Karin Taheny
Karin Taheny is an experienced independent board member and Chief Digital and Technology Officer, steering organisations successfully through the turbulent waters of digital transformation. Having worked both at Google in Dublin and San Francisco, as well as in executive roles in leading technology companies, Karin has an in-depth understanding of the digital global landscape, and the challenges companies are facing today. Karin has served on the non-executive board of Switzerland Global Enterprise from 2018 to 2022. Currently, as Chief Digital + Technology Officer and Deputy CEO, she continues to lead the organisation’s digital transformation strategically into the future.
Mike Baur
Mike Baur is a Swiss venture investor and has been investing in startups for more than 10 years. With his long-lasting private banking experience, he introduces private and institutional investors to venture asset management. He is Co-Founder and CEO of Swiss Ventures Group, one of the most active venture platforms in Switzerland and is engaged as an Advisory Board member at the Startup Days to strengthen the Swiss Startup ecosystem.
Michael Wade
Michael has published ten books and more than a hundred articles and case studies on a variety of topics, including digital business transformation, innovation, strategy, and digital leadership. At IMD, Michael directs a number of executive programmes related to digital transformation, including Digital Execution, Digital Transformation for Boards, Digital Disruption, Digital Transformation in Practice and The Digital Transformation Sprint. Michael provides consulting services, executive education, and expert evaluations to several public and private sector organisations on strategy and digital transformation, and he sits on a number of corporate boards as an advisor on digitization and business model disruption.
Nomination Categories
Once again, the Digital Shapers can be nominated within 10 categories. Digitalisation and its impact on our daily lives is in constant motion, and so are our categories. Among familiar categories, in 2023 you will find new ones as well. Along with our partners, we called upon the public on social media to nominate Digital Shapers from across Switzerland. The big question is: Which digital leaders will make it into the top 100 this year? Stay tuned, the result will be seen.
1. The Spin-off Founders
Entrepreneurs who carve out their idea from a big organisation into a startup
2. The Incubators
People who help digital startups to grow – with money, advice and connections
3. The Internationalisers
Founders and advisors who help their startups to establish a foothold in foreign markets
4. The Nature Techies
People who use digital transformation in order to protect, and preserve nature
5. The Decentralisers
They distribute data around the world leveraging technologies like Web 3.0, distributed ledger, blockchain, cloud & Co.
6. The eMedics
People who use digital transformation to improve various aspects of wellbeing, health and medicine
7. The AI Generators
Masterminds of putting Artificial Intelligence to use
8.The eTeachers
Helping to educate the world using digital tools is their mission
9. The Mobilisers
People who transport mobility into the digital age
10. The Smarties
Experts in the Internet of things that make dumb devices smart
Tech leaders from industry, academia and government gather to address sustainability challenges.
Many countries and businesses have made it a top priority to become more sustainable and climate neutral. But how can the two driving forces sustainability and digitalisation be combined to safeguard our future? Both today and in the coming years. Considered together, these two key topics can create ecological, economic and social benefits. A challenge as tall as sustainability can’t be addressed alone and collaboration is key.
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This was the central thread woven into a world class event during our recent World Economic Forum 2023 Breakfast event in Davos. digitalswitzerland, in partnership with Palantir, hosted an engaging event titled “Tech for Good – addressing Climate Change with Digital Solutions“. It brought together an esteemed lineup of speakers, including Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, Dr. Alex Karp of Palantir, Dieter Vranckx of SWISS, and Dr. Peter Richner of EMPA. The format, with keynotes and a panel discussion, allowed for a rich exploration of the topic and a dynamic exchange of ideas and insights.
L-R Dr. Alex Karp, CEO Palantir and Marc Walder, Founder digitalswitzerland
Marc Walder (Founder of digitalswitzerland) and Dr. Alex Karp (CEO Palantir) welcomed our members and partners before introducing the keynote speakers. The panel that followed discussed the role of technology in addressing the pressing issue of climate change and the potential for digital solutions to have a significant impact.
digitalswitzerland members and partners Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research
Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin highlighted the importance of Tech for Good for the Swiss economy and Swiss corporations, as well as for Swiss research and innovation. “It is important to promote the synergies between these two worlds as much as possible. This is to ensure the well-being of all in our country, but also beyond our borders. Digitalisation is a huge engine of change that is transforming society and the economy at a rapid pace. The potential is immense. Switzerland absolutely must make use of them”.
Dieter R. F. Vranckx, Chief Executive Officer at Swiss International Air Lines
Dieter Vranckxof SWISS shared his insights on the airline industry’s efforts to reduce emissions. During the pandemic, SWISS set environmental sustainability as its top priority. Vranckx is convinced that, “in the long term only airlines that become much more environmentally friendly than they are today will have a significant place in this world and contribute to the mobility of the future”.
Peter Richner, Head of Department Engineering Sciences at Empa
Dr. Peter Richner of EMPA discussed the potential of reliable and consistent greenhouse gas data. The goal is a digital solution that simplifies the modelling and analysis of greenhouse gas emissions in all international value chains. “If we want to achieve the goal of net zero, we can only do so if we measure what we do. We need a tool that enables us all to make smarter decisions when building value chains. This is exactly what WISER makes possible”.
The event provided valuable insights into the potential of technology to address climate change and the importance of collaboration between government, industry and academia. It was a great opportunity for digitalswitzerland members and partners to learn more about the latest developments and initiatives in the field, and to network with other experts in the area.
The global pandemic has continued to drive rapid digitalisation, while also revealing digital inequalities resulting from differences among people in their digital skills, competences and usage. The digitalswitzerland Foundation addressed this topic through its Digital Xchange, a series of interactions on “digital divides and digital inclusion”. From expert interviews, Swiss-wide public focus groups and a high-level forum, diverse stakeholders from the private and public sectors, academia, NGOs and civil society organisations came together to discuss and identify ideas and opportunities to tackle the issue.
Learn more about the stakeholder’s different perspectives on digital divides and what can be done to be more digitally inclusive in the synthesis written by the digitalswitzerland Foundation team.
Zurich, 28 October 2022 – One and a half months, 7 weeks, 49 days: the Swiss Digital Days 2022 and its main formats came to an end on 27 October with a diverse closing evening. The focus of this year’s edition was to empower and support the population on their way into the digital future. Around 350 free events attracted over 100,000 people to Swiss Digital Days, both on-site and online.
On the closing evening, organiser digitalswitzerland and invited guests looked back on the highlights of the seven-week, Switzerland-wide tour and its main formats GreenTech Startup Battle,#herHACK and NextGen Labs. This was followed by a panel with top national and international guests on “The Power of Collective Action”. Finally, the result of the AI art project swissp[AI]nt was unveiled: three animated NFTs that showcase the artworks created by the population.
Find images from the Closing Event and our seven-week programme here.
Oliver Wyman study “Switzerland’s Digital DNA”
Confidence in the Swiss population’s own digital competence is growing only slowly. More than a fifth of all people still feel unable to keep up with the pace of technological progress. The benefits of digitalisation are nevertheless considered high in all areas of life. The willingness to disclose personal data for digital services is growing – despite an increased awareness of cyber risks. At the same time, satisfaction with digital services varies. This is the result of the sixth edition of the study “Switzerland’s Digital DNA”, which is published jointly by the international strategy consultancy Oliver Wyman and digitalswitzerland as part of Swiss Digital Days 2022.
Selected highlights:
75 percent of the population consider the internet and technology to be an opportunity for Switzerland.
Considering personal digital skills, 44 percent of the respondents feel they lack knowledge in technological skills such as programming (44 percent) and the use of new technologies such as smartphones or VR glasses (18 percent).
When it comes to sharing data, Banks (64) and universities (61) are more trusted than government and public offices (53).
30 percent of respondents said they had already been the victim of a cybercrime or corresponding attack.
Find an infographic with further key findings here in German.
5 September marked the kick-off of Swiss Digital Days 2022, which include more than 200 free offers for the population. The big highlight on opening day: the unveiling of a unique, Switzerland-wide crypto-art project in cooperation with Swiss Post. The study “Opportunity costs of the ICT skills shortage”, also published today by digitalswitzerland, once again highlights the importance of the Swiss Digitaltage, as it impressively shows the consequences of the skills shortage on Switzerland’s competitiveness in the medium to long term. To actively address this problem, a substantial part of the Digital Days programme revolves around the promotion of future skills of young talents, for example through the main format “NextGen: Future Skills Labs”.
We are delighted to once again launch into the exciting quest to find and celebrate this year’s 100 Digital Shapers. This would not be possible without our strong partnership with Bilanz, Handelszeitung and PME. The 2022 edition of 100 Digital Shapers will be published in late August. In the meantime, our jury members have been busy assessing more than 270 applications.
A changing digital landscape
2022 is a particularly interesting year for our 12-strong jury to assess and narrow down hopeful nominations. Innovative minds, deep thinkers and action-oriented digital enthusiasts have been busy pushing boundaries. These are the people that our jury will take pleasure in identifying. Without their thoughts and actions, Switzerland would not stay on course for digital success Since these individual powerhouses make rapid advancements possible. We look forward to shining a light on the many digital strides and achievements that have taken place over the last 12 months.
And now it’s time to meet our esteemed jury members, who with their unique skills, extensive knowledge and finger on the pulse of digital change, can appoint our winners.
Marc Kowalsky
Marc Kowalsky has been Deputy Editor-in-Chief at BILANZ, Switzerland’s biggest business magazine, for 14 years. His journalistic focus includes digitalisation, IT and telecoms as well as the start-up scene. He has interviewed personalities such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Eric Schmidt. In the course of his career, he has written for Fortune Magazine, SPIEGEL and SPIEGEL Online, BILANZ Deutschland, Die Welt, Facts and Weltwoche, among others.
Stefan Metzger
Stefan Metzger is the Managing Director of digitalswitzerland. Until 2021, Stefan was the Country Managing Director of Cognizant Technology Solutions, responsible for the company’s business in Switzerland as well as the Market Leader for the Insurance Vertical across Continental Europe. Stefan has worked in the ICT Industry for more than 30 years, with focused experience in Insurance, Technology and Consulting. Prior to his current position, Stefan held various sales management and consulting roles at IBM Corporation across different countries, including Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Central Europe.
Thierry Vial
Thierry Vial has been editor-in-chief of the French-language business magazine PME for seven years. He studied political sciences at the University of Lausanne before working in asset management (BCV), then as an economic journalist for Bilan. He then managed Inédit Publications SA, an SME active in custom publishing, which belonged to the Gassmann group before joining PME.
Caroline Widmer
Caroline Widmer is the Director of -Pulse Incubateur HES, an incubator for talents coming from the six Universities of Applied Sciences of HES-SO Geneva. She previously held strategic positions in the public administration, in the areas of Security and Economic Development. She has conducted major digital transitions while also participating in the elaboration of the State of Geneva’s digital and innovation Policy.
Andri Silberschmidt
Andri Silberschmidt is an FDP National Councillor, Vice-President of the FDP.Die Liberalen Schweiz and gastro-entrepreneur from Zurich. Today, Andri Silberschmidt works as an assistant to the management of Planzer Transport AG. Furthermore, Andri is co-founder and chairman of the board of kaisin. – a catering company with branches in the cities of Zurich, Basel and Zug, a member of the board of directors of Jucker Farm AG and president of FH SCHWEIZ, the umbrella organisation for graduates of universities of applied sciences.
Luciana Vaccaro
Luciana Vaccaro is an Italian-Swiss physicist and Rector of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO) since 1 October 2013. The HES-SO comprises 28 institutions of higher education spread across seven cantons, with more than 22,000 students. She is also vice-president of Innosuisse and president of the chamber of HES of swissuniversities.
Arijana Walcott
As the founder and managing partner of DART Labs | Ventures, Arijana accelerates and invests in early-stage startup founders using deep-tech solutions with a positive impact on people and planet. In addition, she is the Director of Studies at Zurich’s HWZ, leading the Disruptive Technology program and is engaged as a Board Member at the Swiss Startup Association and at Somniacs AG.
Eric Saracchi
Eric Saracchi is the Chief Digital & Information Officer at Firmenich, the largest privately owned Perfumes & Flavors house globally. With an innovative and strategic mindset, Eric transforms businesses by converging purpose, people and technologies together. Eric was awarded “Swiss CIO of the Year (2018)”, “Digital Shapers of Switzerland (2020)”, and received the “Digital Innovation of the Year (Digital Economy Award 2021)”.
Domenico Scala
Domenico Scala has served as President of Basel Area Business & Innovation since 1 January 2016. He has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of Basilea Pharmaceutica AG since April 2016, Chairman of the Board of Directors of BAK Economics AG since May 2014, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Oettinger Davidoff AG since August 2017. He is also a member of the Bank Council of the Basler Kantonalbank. In addition, Domenico Scala is a member of the Healthcare Advisory Board of an equity investment and M&A company and a board member of two private US biotech companies.
Roland Siegwart
Roland Siegwart is professor for autonomous mobile robots at ETH Zurich, founding co-director of the Wyss Zurich and board member of multiple high-tech companies. He was professor at EPFL and Vice President of ETH Zurich. He is among the most cited scientist in robots worldwide, co-founder of more than half a dozen spin-off companies and a strong promoter of innovation and entrepreneurship in Switzerland.
Aleksandra Laska
Aleksandra Laska started her career on the Goldman Sachs trading floor in London. She went on to co-found a mobile payments platform, followed by a stint in VC and as an angel investor. She has built the enterprise division for Improbable, supporting the business in its $600m fundraise and hyper growth from 20 to 400 employees. Before joining Redalpine, Aleksandra set up US operations for a Swiss multi-million dollar robotics software company. She sits on the boards of Razor Group, Portify, Beams and 9fin.
Jelena Tasic Pizzolato
Jelena Tasic Pizzolato is Managing Director at the LifestyleTech Competence Center. Jelena is a digital leader, specialised in corporate and science-based innovation. Actively collaborating with corporates, start-ups and researchers internationally, her sectors of expertise include digital & e-commerce, ICT, fashion, retail, lifestyle and finance. She has 15+ years of international business experience across several European markets, including UK, Italy, and Switzerland.
Nomination Categories
In 2022, we again have 10 categories that Digital Shapers can be nominated for. As digitalisation continues to evolve and change the way we live, so do our categories. This year we have six new categories including; The Connectors, The Unicorn Breeders, The Digital Manufacturers, The Avatars, The AI Masters and The Foodies. Along with our partners, we sent out a public call on social media for those who identify themselves as Digital Shapers. The big question is: Which digital leaders will make it into the top 100? Only time will tell…
1. The Infrastructure Builders People who contribute to a solid digital infrastructure in order to allow digital change. Includes politicians & administration.
2. The Connectors People who build ecosystems, connect actors and bridge regional gaps for collaborative projects in the digital sphere.
3. The Unicorn Breeders People who are about to build or are of critical importance to build a startup company, which is now valued at over US$1 billion.
4. The Digital Manufacturers Leaders of digital manufacturing companies or technology solution providers and subject-matter experts who are an inspiration for the future of Swiss digital manufacturing.
5. The Avatars People who create or make use of new realities (Augmented, Virtual, Mixed) to enable great things.
6. The AI Masters Masterminds who are revolutionising Artificial Intelligence.
7. The eMedics People who use digital transformation to enhance different aspects of wellbeing, health and medicine.
8. The Foodies People who use digital transformation to reshape our current nutrition towards healthier and more sustainable solutions.
9. The Nature Techies People who use digital transformation for the sake of protecting, monitoring or enhancing nature.
10. The Cybersecurity Guards People who, with protective solutions, regulations, awareness-raising and innovations in cyber space, enable us to move safely and not be victims of cyberattacks.
The deserving winners will be celebrated in a dedicated Bilanz publication on 26 August, in PME on 31 August and Handelszeitung on 1 September.
Take a look at past winners and in-depth interviews from 2021 and 2020.
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