Over 700 guests at the economic forum

FRZ Managing Director Rahel Kindermann Leuthard and André Ingold, FRZ President and Mayor of the City of Dübendorf, were delighted with the great interest shown, especially by the numerous sponsors.

Defending Switzerland's leading position

Former ETH professor Lino Guzzella: emphasized how crucial education and research are for Switzerland's innovative strength and showed ways in which Switzerland can maintain its leading position in global competition. 54 percent of Swiss added value is earned from exports. For Guzzella, the prerequisites for success include an entrepreneur-friendly attitude, a robust and efficient infrastructure and creative and motivated people.

As a pioneer of mobile robotics, Hanspeter Fässler emphasized the role of autonomous systems in industry and outlined the developments that are expected in the coming years. Fässler sees the Zurich region as an international hotspot for AI and robotics. ANYbotics was founded in 2016 as a spin-off of ETH Zurich with the aim of commercializing the technology behind the four-legged robot ANYmal. ANYmal is designed to perform autonomous inspection tasks in industrial environments. Fässler emphasizes ANYmal's ability to operate in hazardous and hard-to-reach areas, which increases safety and efficiency in the industry.

Neuroscientist Henning Beck provided a remarkable comparison between human thinking and artificial intelligence and posed the question of the ethical dimensions of technological progress. It is important to recognize the limits: AI fails with unknown data and in an unquantifiable environment. AI does not understand cause and effect. AI also has no conceptual understanding. On the other hand, AI is advantageous when it comes to large amounts of data and measurable key figures.

FRZ Excellence Award to Hannes Schmid

Hannes Schmid, renowned Swiss photo artist and founder of the aid organization Smiling Gecko, was honored with the FRZ Excellence Award 2024 at the 24th Economic Forum. Smiling Gecko is an aid project in Cambodia that provides sustainable development aid and combats the causes of poverty. Through initiatives in the areas of agriculture, crafts, education and tourism, the project creates jobs and strengthens the local economy. Well-known personalities have thanked Hannes Schmid in video messages: Philipp Hildebrand, Vice Chairman of the world's largest asset manager Blackrock, Marc Walder, CEO of Ringier AG, and celebrity chef Andreas Caminada.

The presentation of Cradle also attracted attention: the biotech company is using AI to revolutionize the design of new proteins through efficiency and precision. "With Cradle, scientists can enter protein sequences and adapt the desired properties," as Luba Protopopova explained in an interview. Cradle is the winner of the Digital Economy Award 2024 in the category "Next Global Hot Thing - in AI".

Choreographer and dancer Jaira Peyer from Zurich combines classical show dance with modern technology to create unique, immersive performances. With her approach, she creates new perspectives in the field of dance and performance.