Swiss {ai} Weeks: Switzerland brings artificial intelligence to life
The largest Swiss initiative on AI to date brings together society, business, and research: More than 160 events in 24 cities are designed to make AI accessible in a transparent, open, and dialogue-oriented way.
The Swiss {ai} Weeks will launch an unprecedented project on 1 September 2025: around 150 partner organizations from science, business, administration and civil society are hosting more than 160 events until 5 October. In addition to technology festivals and panel discussions, visitors will gain practical insights into the use of large language models or AI-based city guides, for example. This will highlight the role AI is already playing in education, tourism, journalism and SMEs.
The five-week program ranges from software workshops and hackathons to low-threshold online formats. The target group is everyone: schoolchildren in St. Gallen, journalists in Aarau, politicians in Porrentruy and entrepreneurs in Lugano. They should all learn to understand, use and help shape AI - in line with Swiss values such as transparency and responsibility.
At the center of many hackathons is the new Swiss language model, trained on the "Alps" supercomputer in Lugano. In collaboration with companies such as AXA, Swisscom, Swiss Re and UBS, solutions for specific challenges are developed from this model. According to Pascale Vonmont, CEO of Gebert Rüf Stiftung, the program thus sets standards in the combination of cutting-edge research and everyday life. The alliance is correspondingly broad: The initiators are EPFL AI Center, ETH AI Center, Swisscom, Impact Hub Switzerland, Kickstart Innovation, Panter and Wildcard Media.
According to Christoph Birkholz from Panter AG, AI should be brought into society "transparently, openly and responsibly". Partners such as SRG SSR, Swisscom and Swiss Re are focusing on direct exchange with the public. In addition to face-to-face events, digital offerings ensure accessibility in all language regions.
The Swiss {ai} Weeks see themselves as a prelude to the responsible use of AI in Switzerland. According to the organizers, they should stand for a collective awakening, social debate and the strong promotion of innovation in the service of the community.
