Swiss Economic Forum 2023 - anniversary edition

Under the motto ‘Make it happen.’, the Swiss Economic Forum celebrated its 25th anniversary in Interlaken on 8 and 9 June 2023. The anniversary edition was dedicated to the ‘hidden champions’ of Swiss SMEs who are shaping the economy with their innovations. High-calibre contributions from business, science and politics offered international perspectives and inspiration.

For a quarter of a century, the SEF has been a platform for dialogue and solutions to current challenges facing the Swiss economy. In 2023, the focus was once again on exciting discussions, forward-looking approaches and celebrating entrepreneurship.

In his opening speech at SEF.2023, the President of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset, pleaded for the need to rebuild trust between business, politics and society in Switzerland. ‘Cooperation is our country's greatest strength.’

The current state of artificial intelligence, especially in relation to supposedly revolutionary language software such as ChatGPT, is overrated, said Urs Hölzle, Senior Vice President at Google, at the SEF. ‘I compare it to a pocket calculator that can solve difficult problems in seconds, but has not revolutionised mathematics.’

‘A healthy population pyramid is a key factor for a strong economy and a well-functioning society,’ said Hungarian President Katalin Novak in the last presentation of the first SEF day. However, the birth rate in Europe continues to fall. Many countries are solving the problem through immigration. Hungary does not want this, said Novak.