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CH — Country Profile

Switzerland

20TOTAL
1OFFICIAL SOURCES
11TOPIC AREAS
Law / Act2
National Strategy3
Standard / Framework1
International Agreement2
Court Case1
Other11
Antitrust & CompetitionCopyright & IpCybersecurityData Privacy & ProtectionDeepfakesGenerative AIHealth & Life SciencesNational StrategyOnline Safety & Child ProtectionPublic Sector & GovernanceSafe & Responsible Ai
Other

Swiss Federal Chancellery publishes federal popular initiative "For the Protection of Fundamental Rights and Democracy in the Digital Space (Internet Initiative)"

The Swiss Federal Chancellery has announced the federal popular initiative "For the Protection of Fundamental Rights and Democracy in the Digital Space (Internet Initiative)," which seeks to amend the Federal Constitution by adding Article 93a to mandate the federal government to establish regulations that safeguard fundamental rights and democratic processes in digital environments, specifically targeting communication platforms, search engines, and AI-based content systems. The initiative outlines obligations for these entities to protect individuals from fundamental rights violations and to prevent the dissemination of content related to sexualised violence or the incitement of violence, while also addressing systemic risks linked to disinformation and algorithmic amplification in democratic decision-making. The federal government would oversee compliance and regulation, and the initiative committee is tasked with collecting 100,000 signatures by 3 September 2027 to facilitate a national vote, with the Federal Assembly set to formally assess the initiative's validity post-signature collection.

2 March 2026Online Safety & Child Protection
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Other

Federal Council announces priorities for 2026, including a proposed federal AI coordination office

The Swiss Federal Council has presented its priorities for 2026 at the National Council, including AI authority governance. It focuses on examining the expansion of a federal AI coordination office. The goals also focus on oversight capacities, promoting coherent governance, and align Switzerland more closely with evolving international standards on AI.

8 September 2025Data Privacy & ProtectionCybersecurity
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National Strategy

Switzerland signs Council of Europe's AI Convention

The Federal Council of Switzerland has signed the Council of Europe Convention on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law. Following the signing, Switzerland will prepare the necessary legislative amendments. The Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP), in collaboration with the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), has been tasked with preparing a consultation draft, which is to be submitted by the end of 2026. DETEC has also been tasked with developing an implementation plan for legally non-binding measures to implement the Convention by the end of 2026.

27 March 2025National Strategy
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International Agreement

Switzerland to ratify Council of Europe Convention

The Switzerland Federal Council has announced that it intends to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and to make the necessary amendments to Swiss law. Work will also continue on the regulation of AI in specific sectors such as healthcare and transport. In terms of next steps, the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP), together with the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), will now prepare a consultation draft by the end of 2026 to implement the Council of Europe's AI Convention by defining the necessary legal measures, particularly in the areas of transparency, data protection, non-discrimination and supervision.

12 February 2025Data Privacy & ProtectionHealth & Life Sciences
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Law / Act✓ Official

Paris Charter on AI signed

Chile, Finland, France, Germany, India, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Slovenia, and Switzerland have adopted the "Paris Charter on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Public Interest". The charter (1) aims to ensure AI development serves the public interest, focusing on equity, transparency, accountability, and sustainability; (2) encourages openness in AI and accountability through existing frameworks; (3) calls for safeguards against AI’s potential harms, alongside an affirmative vision to maximise its public benefits, including through open public goods, democratic participation, and sustainable solutions; and (4) stresses the importance of accessible high-quality data, privacy protection, and smaller, more localised AI models that have a reduced environmental impact.

11 February 2025Data Privacy & Protection
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National Strategy

Switzerland adopts digital strategy 2025

The Federal Council of the Swiss Confederation has adopted the updated Digital Switzerland Strategy 2025. The Strategy outlines the country's priorities for digital transformation to maintain Switzerland's leadership in innovation and competitiveness. Notably, the Strategy calls for the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications in cooperation with the Federal Office of Justice, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Chancellery to implement an approach for regulating AI that ensures basic rights, democracy and the rule of law are protected.

13 December 2024Data Privacy & ProtectionOnline Safety & Child Protection
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Other

Global data protection authorities issue statement on data scraping, covering AI

A coalition of 17 global data protection authorities have issued a follow-up statement on data scraping (Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, China, Switzerland, Norway, New Zealand, Colombia, Jersey, Morocco, Argentina, Mexico, Guernsey, Spain, Monaco, Israel). The statement builds on a joint statement by the authorities in August 2023 urging social media platforms to implement safeguards against data scraping. This follow-up statement specifies that (1) organizations should deploy a combination of safeguarding measures against unlawful scraping, regularly reviewing and updating them to keep pace with advances in scraping techniques and technologies; (2) while AI is used by some sophisticated data scrapers to evade detection, it can also enhance protections against unlawful scraping; (3) the obligation to protect against unlawful scraping applies to both large corporations and SMEs, with lower-cost measures available for SMEs with assistance from service providers; (4) contractual terms authorizing scraping of personal data cannot alone render such scraping lawful, but they can serve as an important safeguard; (5) organizations permitting scraping of personal data must ensure they have a lawful basis, are transparent, and obtain consent where required by law; (6) organizations should implement adequate measures, including contractual terms and monitoring, to ensure compliance with data protection and privacy laws; (7) providing access via an API can allow organizations greater control over data and facilitate detection and mitigation of unauthorized scraping; and (8) organizations using scraped data or their own platform data to train AI must comply with data protection, privacy laws, and AI-specific laws, following available regulatory guidelines.

28 October 2024Data Privacy & ProtectionGenerative AICybersecurity
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Other

Switzerland will extend neutrality to AI regulations, according to certain officials

It has been reported that Switzerland will extend its neutrality to tech regulations, including AI. Livia Walpen, an official at the country’s telecoms watchdog OFCOM, states that Switzerland prefers no regulation over bad regulation. Ayisha Piotti, head of the Annual AI Policy Summit, notes that this neutrality exempts Swiss AI firms from the EU AI Act.

14 June 2024Data Privacy & Protection
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Other

AI dominates the conversation at 2024 World Economic Forum meeting in Davos

The 2024 World Economic Forum meeting at Davos, Switzerland was dominated with conversations around AI, particularly generative AI regulation. Key ideas included: (1) the need for "networked and adaptive" governance models (UN Secretary General António Guterres); (2) need for "international rules" on deepfakes (SG Communications and Information MInister Josephine Teo); (3) review of local privacy laws, cybersecurity rules, digital safety, child protection, consumer protection, competition law (Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith).

21 January 2024Generative AIDeepfakesData Privacy & Protection
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National Strategy

Federal Council examining regulatory approaches to AI

After examining the developments, opportunities and challenges associated with AI, the Federal Council has instructed Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications to identify potential approaches to regulating it by the end of 2024, and to involve all federal agencies responsible in the legal areas affected.

22 November 2023National Strategy
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Other

Swiss Competition Commission monitoring AI antitrust developments

The Swiss Competition Commission (COMCO) has emphasized the need for continuous monitoring of AI developments to ensure effective competition protection, particularly against obstructionist strategies by dominant companies or algorithmic collusion. While AI can enhance efficiency, innovation, and lower market entry barriers, it also poses concentration risks and potential price convergence that may hinder competition. COMCO is proactively overseeing these dynamics to balance timely interventions without stifling innovation or allowing anti-competitive structures to solidify. In 2025, COMCO conducted 18 investigations, 8 preliminary inquiries, and 43 market observations, addressing 34 mergers and providing opinions on approximately 350 inter-agency consultations and public opinion procedures, with significant proceedings involving various sectors, leading to the prohibition of certain conduct, approval of a merger, and resolution of cases without fines.

31 March 2026Antitrust & Competition
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Other

Federal Chancellery calls for tenders for the procurement of IT services in the field of data and AI

The Swiss Federal Chancellery has initiated a tender process for IT services in data and AI, valued at CHF 57 million, aiming to implement strategies from 2026 to 2031 that promote shared solutions within the Federal Administration and support digital transformation. The tender is divided into two lots: one for data-related services and another for AI-related services, with each lot awarding contracts to the seven highest-scoring bidders. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups are encouraged to participate, either individually or as part of a consortium, with the evaluation expected to conclude by the end of June and services commencing in the third quarter of 2026.

25 March 2026Public Sector & Governance
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Court Case

Swiss federal court rules only natural persons can be named inventors

The Swiss Federal Administrative Court has ruled on the patent application involving the AI system Device for the Autonomous Bootstrapping of Unified Sentience (DABUS), confirming that under Swiss law, only natural persons can be named inventors. The Court rejected the appellant’s main request to designate DABUS as the inventor and held that patent applications must include a named natural person inventor. It was highlighted that ownership of the AI system alone does not confer inventorship, but the appellant’s demonstrated intellectual contribution through interaction with the AI output qualified him as an inventor. The Court annulled the lower instance’s refusal to grant the patent on this basis and instructed the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property to continue examination, naming Stephen L. Thaler as inventor, with the decision subject to appeal within 30 days.

26 June 2025Copyright & Ip
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Law / Act

FDPIC releases guidance on applicability of data protection law to AI

The Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) of Switzerland has released guidance affirming that the current Data Protection Act (DPA), effective since 1 September 2023, is directly applicable to data processing operations involving AI. The guidance notes that (1) the DPA, formulated in a technology-neutral manner, mandates transparency in AI operations, requiring disclosure of the purpose, operation, and data sources; (2) the DPA stipulates the right of data subjects to object to automated processing and to request human review of automated decisions; and (3) high-risk AI applications necessitate data protection impact assessments, while applications undermining privacy, such as large-scale, real-time facial recognition or the global surveillance and assessment of individuals' lifestyles, are prohibited.

8 May 2025Data Privacy & Protection
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Other

FDPIC concludes preliminary investigation into X

The Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) has concluded its preliminary investigation into X, formerly Twitter, concerning the utilisation of personal data by X for training its AI system (Grok) as well as the transparency of these operations and the opt-out options for users. The FDPIC noted that X was compliant with relevant data protection obligations as it had introduced an opt-out mechanism on 16 July 2024, allowing users to exclude their public contributions from the training datasets and manage their data usage preferences

20 March 2025Data Privacy & ProtectionGenerative AI
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Other

Switzerland considers how to regulate AI

The BAKOM (Swiss Federal Office of Communications) has prepared a set of recommendation for the Swiss Federal Council to outline potential approaches for regulating AI in Switzerland. It proposes three possible regulatory paths: (1) continuing with current sector-specific regulations; (2) ratifying the Council of Europe's AI Convention with either minimal or more comprehensive implementation; or (3) adopting the AI Convention plus aligning with the EU's AI Act.

12 February 2025Generative AIData Privacy & Protection
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Other

Swiss privacy regulator issues statement on the usage of data by Meta for AI training

The Swiss Federal Protection Department (EDOB) has issued a statement which states that Meta has agreed not to use data from adult users of Facebook and Instagram to train AI models. For context, Meta planned to use users' photos and posts from Facebook and Instagram to develop and improve its AI services starting 26 June 2024, excluding private messages. The EDOB demanded Meta to cease those plans.

21 June 2024Data Privacy & ProtectionCopyright & Ip
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International Agreement

Data Protection Authorities adopt joint statement on AI generated imagery raising concerns on defamatory content and harm to vulnerable groups

61 data protection authorities, including those from Australia, Spain, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, and the European Data Protection Board, have adopted a joint statement expressing concerns about AI systems that generate realistic images and videos of identifiable individuals without consent, emphasizing the potential for non-consensual intimate imagery, defamatory content, and harm to vulnerable groups. The statement underscores the necessity for compliance with existing privacy and data protection laws, noting that such creations may be criminal offenses in many jurisdictions, and calls for robust safeguards, meaningful transparency, accessible content removal mechanisms, and enhanced protections for children, while affirming regulators' commitment to coordinated enforcement, policy, and education efforts.

23 February 2026Data Privacy & Protection
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Other

Artificial Intelligence and International Rules - Report for the Federal Council (2022):

Report by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs on how global AI rules and standards are established, how they should be categorised, whether international law has been created as a result and, where necessary, propose measures relating to Switzerland's position on AI regulation.

Public Sector & Governance
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Standard / Framework

Guidelines on AI for the Confederation (2020):

These guidelines serve as a general frame of reference on the use of AI within the Federal Administration and help to ensure a coherent policy. There are 7 basic guidelines: (1) Putting people first, (2) Regulatory conditions for the development and application of AI, (3) Transparency, traceability and explainability, (4) Accountability, (5) Safety, (6) Actively shape AI governance, (7) Involve all relevant national and international stakeholders.

Safe & Responsible Ai
↗ Link availableSecondary source