Few places make the tension between technological promise and ethical responsibility as tangible as Davos during the World Economic Forum (WEF). On Wednesday, January 21, I had the pleasure of experiencing the WEF in Davos, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence and the role of science in diplomacy. 

At the Rosenberg House, high school students presented their thoughts on the responsible use of AI and the necessity of addressing this rapidly advancing technology as early as possible in education. It was wonderful to see young minds beginning to tackle prominent societal issues, such as the rifts that can emerge when powerful tools are not accessible to all. During an informal lunch, I greatly enjoyed probing their planned projects and discussing current scientific limitations. 

The WEF is fundamentally about dialogue. Meeting new people, being introduced to new perspectives, and gaining access to a deep pool of expertise from professionals across disciplines are among the highlights of the experience. Together with newly made friends from the Australian Council on Foreign Relations, a unique ‘do-tank’ and a forum for corporate diplomacy, we headed to the House of Switzerland for a panel on foresight and strategy in the age of AI. On the way, Air Force One’s helicopter was just arriving, and the panel was later overshadowed by a harrowing speech by the President of the United States of America. That day, many heads were shaken in disbelief—not only in Davos, but around the globe. 

A particularly memorable takeaway from the panel was the harsh reality that foresight, whether corporate or governmental, must always account for even the unthinkable. Especially in today’s turbulent times, in which it seems that every “piece of ice” is fair game in the geopolitical landscape. 

The evening concluded with more food for thought at RETHINKING Science Diplomacy at the Physical Meteorological Observatory. Professor Mesot opened the event with an anecdote from the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting how crucial it is for scientific institutions and governments to come together and collaborate more closely than ever in times of crisis. The discussion emphasized the push and pull surrounding scientific facts, underlining that the supply of research is only meaningful when there is an equivalent demand from the public. One of the major challenges of our time is reinvigorating an appetite for tested and proven facts over populist headlines that feed on ever-increasing angst. 

There is clearly much work ahead. I fully agree that the scientific community has a responsibility to actively engage in outreach to broader society. While there are many worrying developments, there are just as many positive efforts aimed at addressing challenges constructively and maintaining lasting trust. 

Now in my third year of the physics bachelor’s at ETH Zurich, I recall the dramatic shift of focus towards large language models, and in general, machine learning after the release of ChatGPT in 2022, right at the start of my studies. My name is Kilian Teck, and it is my pleasure to share my experience from attending the ML4QT symposium. I first heard about the conference through an Instagram post by ETH on the day of the application deadline. At the time, I was travelling to the World of Quantum exhibition in Munich for a hackathon and only decided last minute to write to ETH Studios. A few days later, I was delighted to hear that I was invited to attend.

In Zurich, I met up with Isidor Schoch, and we headed to Heilbronn. The opportunity to connect with Isidor, who is an ETH alumnus, was great. He has a master’s degree in quantum engineering and continues to work in the field at NVIDIA. Close to the completion of my bachelor’s, I am in the process of deciding on a direction for my master’s and having an advanced mentor at hand is indispensable.

At first, we were both slightly surprised by the location of the symposium. Heilbronn is a small city, only recently having gained the title of university city. But throughout the stay, I was amazed at the efforts being implemented to grow the location into a hub for innovation. As we learned during a tour with colleagues from ETH Studio Heilbronn, the ‘Bildungscampus’ is being greatly expanded over the next few years, hosting renowned institutes, including ETH, TUM, Fraunhofer and the Max Planck Gesellschaft. Thank you to Marc Ebert and Michele de Lorenzi for showing us first-hand how ETH fosters excellence internationally.

Over two days, I got to hear a plethora of talks on various aspects of applying classical machine learning to accelerating the development of quantum hardware as well as software. Speakers ranged from renowned experts such as Jens Eisert to emerging researchers and companies. The University of Waterloo co-hosted the event with the Fraunhofer IAO and IPO. During numerous coffee breaks, chatting with researchers from across the pond, it was incredibly valuable to hear about the international efforts of pushing quantum technologies to a useful scale. In particular, I recall the talk by Prof. Christine Muschik from the Perimeter Institute and the Waterloo Institute for Quantum Computing, which highlighted how using qudits—quantum systems with more than two states, as opposed to the conventional two states of a qubit—can reduce the number of required operations and therefore potentially enhance the accuracy of calculations performed on quantum computers.

In the evening, we had the chance to enjoy Heilbronn by canoe. A guided tour on the Neckar proved to be a lot of fun. Racing fellow attendees on the water and a ‘Literaturstunde’ by the guide, with a humorous quote about the river Neckar by Mark Twain. The bit of exercise was followed by a delicious dinner at the Experimenta itself.

The symposium was an incredible experience, and I am very grateful to ETH Studios for making it possible to meet with so many interesting people in one place to learn about quantum initiatives.

Find out more about the ETH Studios here: https://ethz.ch/en/the-eth-zurich/global/network/eth-studios.html