On 13 December 2019 the Swiss Federal Council took note of the Report of the Interdepartemental Working Group on Artificial Intelligence, which was established in fall 2018. A brief introduction to and main conclusions of the Report can be found here:
- No fundamental change to the Swiss regulatory framework to enable the development of AI in Switzerland is deemed necessary, but some clarifications and adaptations in certain of the 17 thematic and policy areas will be required, e.g in the areas of mobility, security policy and science and technology.
2. Next Steps – The Federal Council asked, that in the following four areas further work and reports are required:
- AI and International Law
- Use of AI in the formation of public opinion (öffentliche Meinungs- und Willensbildung)
- Use of AI for better coordination within the federal administration
- Relevant AI policy areas need to be integrated in the overall digital strategy for Switzerland: “Digitale Schweiz”
In preparation of the interdepartemental report the following three interesting papers were prepared by the federal administration:
The following external reports prepared by SATW, foraus and Zurich Hub for Ethics and Technology (ZHET) and ICT4Peace are also of interest:
ZHET &ICT4Peace: Managing the risks and rewards of emerging and converging technologies: International cooperation, national policy and the role of the individual
ZHET &ICT4Peace: Artificial Intelligence: Autonomous Technology (AT), Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) and Peace Time Threats
Two articles in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) by Regina Surber and Daniel Stauffacher and a speech by Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr can be found below:
On 19 September 2018 Regina Surber and Daniel Stauffacher: “Vier Forderungen zur Regulierung der Künstlichen Intelligent” demanding an urgent public debate and regulatory engagement regarding artificial intelligence by the Swiss people and authorities. The text in French of the article in NZZ can be found here. The English text can be found here.
On 24 April 2019 Regina Surber: “Auslagerung des Grundrechtsschutzes von der Politik auf Firmen” (Are governments outsourcing protection of fundamental rights to companies ?). The article by Regina in the NZZ in German can be found here.The translation into English can be found here.
On 7 May 2019 Federal Chancellor Walter Thurnherr gave an excellent speech on”Künstliche Intelligenz oder Das Erfordernis einer klugen Regulierung” (“AI and the requirement for intelligent regulation”, addressing some of Regina’s questions. The Chancellor’s speech can be found here: