Submitted text
The Federal Council is instructed to draw up a Report with the following content:
- a Interpretation the legal and regulatory provisions that may slow down the widespread introduction and use of the most powerful artificial intelligence (AI) models, especially American AI, in Swiss companies and the Swiss administration;
- a Weighing of interests analyze on a case-by-case basis with the aim of determining whether legislation needs to be adapted in order to promote a faster and broader introduction of AI;
- an estimate – even a rough one at best – of the potential Loss of productivity, growth and prosperity due to a delay in the introduction of AI in companies and administration.
In particular, the report will examine the provisions relating to data protection, international data transfer, professional and official secrecy, liability and public procurement, as well as any other regulations that may affect the use of advanced AI models.
Justification
There are countless measures aimed at restricting the use of AI. The issues surrounding the risks of AI take up a disproportionate amount of space in the political debate and obscure the real issue: the extraordinary potential of AI for growth and innovation.
This potential is particularly significant for the service sector, the heart of the Swiss economy. The studies mention the key sectors of the Swiss economy in particular, such as the financial sector, the IT industry, engineering, the legal and healthcare sectors and, of course, public administration. In these sectors, AI makes it possible to automate tasks, speed up information processing and improve the quality of decisions.
In the coming years, productivity gains thanks to AI will be a determining factor between countries whose economies are growing and those whose economies are stagnating or shrinking. Against this backdrop, the main risk lies not in AI itself, but in its Delayed introduction.
Even if the Swiss legal framework does not explicitly target AI, it can still hinder the widespread use of AI, especially the most advanced models developed abroad.
If AI is not introduced in Switzerland at the same pace as in competing countries with less restrained economic development, this is not a neutral decision, but a decision with serious economic consequences.