Digital Conference Eastern Switzerland 2026: Speed, Illusion, and Judgment

About 200 guests gathered on September 8, 2026, at the Einstein Congress in St. Gallen for the Digital Conference Ostschweiz. Under the theme «Cybersecurity Meets AI—Risk or Opportunity?», experts from academia, business, and politics explored how artificial intelligence is transforming the security landscape, society, and the world of work. The conference is co-organized by rockt!, LEADER, and east#digital.

AI is speeding things up—on both sides

Anna-Lena Horlemann, professor of theoretical computer science and mathematics at the University of St. Gallen, made it clear that AI can be used by both attackers and defenders. «AI doesn’t change the rules of the game in cybersecurity. It speeds up the game. Those who don’t keep up will fall behind.»

Business psychologist Jill Wick placed the human factor at the center of her remarks. She noted that AI accelerates social engineering and makes it easier to personalize attacks. At the same time, she said, it is becoming more difficult to detect artificially generated content. «We shouldn’t rely too much on our gut feelings,» Wick said.

State Councilor Beat Tinner provided insight into how the Canton of St. Gallen is approaching AI. The canton has examined both the benefits and risks and aims to establish the conditions for its responsible use. Responsibility must not be delegated to machines. «The opportunities outweigh the risks, but only if we remain vigilant.»

Participants then delved deeper into the conference topics during five parallel breakout sessions. The sessions focused on cyber resilience, vibe coding and compliance, data-driven work with AI, prompt injection, and the interplay between AI, cybersecurity, and human behavior.

Disinformation in the Age of Social Media

Henriette Engbersen, Head of Public Value at SRG, addressed the issue of disinformation. She noted that while this is not a new phenomenon, it is continually exacerbated by technological changes. «Every new technological revolution brings with it a wave of disinformation,» said Engbersen. Social media, in particular, has fundamentally changed the way misinformation spreads.

Christian Naef Wins the Title of "Digital Shaper of Eastern Switzerland 2026"

As part of the Digital Conference Ostschweiz, the Digital Shaper Ostschweiz 2026 was also announced. From more than 50 nominated individuals and teams, the community had initially selected ten finalists. In the second public vote, Christian Naef, CEO and co-founder of the Wiler-based startup RY3T, emerged as the winner. RY3T develops solutions at the intersection of energy and computing, utilizing surplus electricity for computing power. «It’s a great honor. I saw the competition and didn’t think I’d win,» Naef said after the announcement.

Precht: «We aren’t trained enough in critical thinking.»

In closing, philosopher and journalist Richard David Precht spoke about the societal consequences of artificial intelligence. He noted that the world of work is not yet sufficiently prepared for these changes. At the same time, he said, we must strengthen our ability to evaluate information independently. «We live in a society of total information, but we are not sufficiently trained in critical thinking,» said Precht.

For more information about the Digital Conference Eastern Switzerland, visit https://www.digitalconference.ch/