This article explores the disruptive potential of AI algorithms and the challenges posed by the increasing complexity of digitalization. It discusses the impact on political decision-making, voting behavior, and the need for unbiased AI intelligent assistants. However, it also raises concerns about data manipulation and algorithm biases. Is there a threat to democracies? The article emphasizes the importance of regulations, citizen education, and international governance.

Rare earth elements (REE) are common in the earth’s crust, but in low concentrations. Their extraction is labor intensive and comes with a considerable environmental impact. Mostly used as chemical catalysts, rare earth elements are also indispensable for the energy transition and global electrification. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) looks at microbes to process rare earth elements. What could be the implications for Switzerland?

The massive creation of data that appeared during the last decade, generates innumerable new opportunities and new ways to create wealth, thus impacting the way society and the economy work. This in turn modifies radically the way social interactions and political order used to be up to the beginning of the twenty-first century. In my new book I talk about social classes and political order in the age of data.

A rapidly growing world population aspires to live a long, healthy and comfortable life. But shrinking resources, growing waste problems and climate extremes are factors which limit these aspirations and create a latent danger for social unrest. We need different value chains, new technologies and new products which encompass the whole value chain, with radically new manufacturing methods for affordable and sustainable products assuring economic growth and personal prosperity for 8 to 9 billion people.

Excessive packaging, especially in combination with convenience food and littering, has become an issue, instigating social and political pressure and calling for near-term solutions. “Bioplastics” are one possible element eventually providing a way out of the plastic problem. However, to address the topic of biopolymers in the context of food packaging, we must understand first the needs of the food industry. This is a crucial aspect the SATW has been pursuing for some time. In addition, the SATW invited the “biopolymer” community to forward ideas without previously specifying the needs and problems, which had been identified and communicated by the industry. In a joint action with the NTN Innovation Booster Swiss Food Ecosystems, the question how to develop and use green, clean and smart plastic materials for food packaging was put forward.

Rapidly growing its blended learning portfolio, the sitem-insel School keeps evolving according to its students’ needs. It clearly lives up to its mission – to convert scientific findings into clinical applications.

We find out how the School coped with the challenges COVID-19 poured into the education system, how they develop blended learning programmes, their research and start-up activities.

We are familiar with the idea that technology is neutral, and that its impact depends only on how it is used. This traditional view has, however, become untenable. Because of its nature and its complex interplay with industry, the economy, and society, technology is no longer neutral. This change is being driven by the pervasiveness of data, which today are generated everywhere at an unpreceded pace because several technologies are currently reaching maturity. 

SATW-member Jürgen Schmidhuber gives some insights on how AI can tackle COVID-19.

After months of preparation the SAMCE (Swiss Advanced Manufacturing Community Events) Initiative was officially launched with an online event taking place on 21 January at 3 pm sharp. It was the starting point of a series of events aiming at uniting the Swiss scientific community in the field of advanced manufacturing and at fostering and facilitating scientific exchange and collaboration. More than 140 scientists from various Swiss research institutions attended the launch event.

The Swiss Biotech Association (SBA) and SATW have started a joint activity to develop industrial biotechnology. Interested parties are invited to participate.

Open access to research data promises to generate new knowledge more quickly. A comprehensible quality of the data is a central prerequisite for its use beyond the original purpose. On behalf of SWITCH, SATW surveyed experts in Switzerland as to which aspects and measures are particularly important in this respect.

Why do some regions thrive economically and others not? In this article, SATW member Georges Kotrotsios takes a close look at some key competition factors for industrial ecosystems and warns about global imbalances if risks and benefits are unequally shared between the private and public sector.  

In an increasingly complex world, traditional paradigms fail to adequately capture the nature of interdependencies. This applies in particular to technological innovations and their social and economic impact. We need to find a holistic approach that helps us improve our understanding and planning.

SATW supported Kickstart's cybersecurity vertical 2019 as a knowledge partner. Four partnerships between established companies and start-ups have emerged from it. On 8 November, Kickstart celebrated the completion of its innovation support programme.

Open Science promotes the creation of new knowledge and access to research results. The management of research data is a major challenge. Together with SWITCH, SATW is analysing existing standards and measures to simplify the exchange of data among researchers.

Today the role of science and technology has become more important than ever. Digitalisation is playing a key role in this change. But digitalisation is fuelled by data, which therefore has become a factor of production equally important as capital. In fact, data is a form of capital, but with some specific distinctions. As such, it opens up new opportunities, but also harbours certain risks.

ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, celebrated its 25th anniversary in Bern. On 9 May it was time for a scientific symposium about “Science and Society in Present-day Europe”, hosted and co-organised by the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences.

ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, celebrated its 25th anniversary in Bern. On 9 May it was time for a scientific symposium about “Science and Society in Present-day Europe”, hosted and co-organised by the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences.

After a short lunch break, the Euro-CASE conference 2018 continued as intensive as in the morning. At first, participants were able to choose between two different breakout sessions according to their interest.

Artificial Intelligence was the focus topic of this year’s Euro-CASE Conference held on 24 September in Rüschlikon near Zurich. SATW, a member academy of Euro-CASE, organised the event.

Mid-September 2017 about 30 experts from industry and academia met to discuss the state of the art and potential fields of action in artificial intelligence (AI).

WanaCry, NotPetya, Shadowpad: the list of malwares in circulation continues to grow, as well as the number of victims of cyberattacks. Direct and indirect losses due to cyberinsecurity issues are increasingly important and exponential. This arises questions about the insurability of cyber risks. What needs to be done?

E-Voting was the focus theme of this year’s Swiss Cyber Storm Conference held on October 18 in Lucerne. SATW is partner of the event for the third time. 

How secure is Switzerland in cyberspace? The event "cyber sovereignty" showed that there are major challenges in the pursuit of national interests and the protection of one's own assets. The highlight of the event was a presentation by Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin on his security policy vision.