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Competence Network for Artificial Intelligence The Confederation develops a “Competence Network for Artificial Intelligence"

25.08.2021 - Artificial Intelligence (AI) is among the pioneering technologies of the digital future and has also a lot of potential to be used in the federal administration. At its meeting on 25.08.2021, the Federal Council decided to develop a “Competence Network for Artificial Intelligence” (CNW AI). The corresponding unit for this will be attached to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Artificial intelligence is already used in some pilot projects in the federal administration. Some important functions include text recognition, language recognition, image recognition, fraud detection, plausibility checks, data validation and predictive maintenance.

The Federal Council wishes to promote artificial intelligence. Furthermore, technology is expected to be increasingly used in the federal administration. For this purpose, the required expertise must be collected, systematised and interlinked. With the support of the Digital Transformation and ICT Steering Unit (DTI) at the Federal Chancellery, the FSO will immediately start building a network that should be in operation in spring 2022.

Tasks of the competence network for AI

The aim of the unit is to use synergies. It serves as a contact partner for networking both within and outside the administration as well as for overarching issues in the AI sector. Furthermore, the unit imparts national and international expertise and experience; ensures contact with experts and, through a knowledge database, creates an overview of the AI projects within the federal administration.

The CNW AI takes into consideration the needs of the individual offices. These will be supported by the unit in recognising and tapping into the potential of AI solutions for their services. The unit enables, for instance, a targeted learning culture in the AI environment. The CNW AI is based on the Confederation’s guidelines for artificial intelligence and the OECD’s principles and recommendations for political decision makers in this area.