Switzerland Today
Greetings from Zurich!
You may be relieved to hear that in future this newsletter could be delivered to you by a hallucinogenic robot. If that tickles your fancy, then I’ll elaborate below.
But first, the news of the day (delivered by hand)
In the news: private banks fill coffers, employees fill wallets with pennies, wolves fill the countryside with litters.
- Switzerland’s coveted private banking sector is feeling flush from the rise in interest rates. This has allowed them to earn the same income as from their commission business, says KPMG.
- Eleven out of 12 wolf packs in canton Graubünden have proliferated this year, bringing 46 baby wolves into the world.
- Swiss workers have negotiated an average 2.5% pay rise this year, but the forecast 2.2% inflation rate will strip away most of these gains.
- The world remains ill-prepared for another pandemic, according to the Observatory for Health Crisis Preparedness.
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This year, Switzerland experienced the second-warmest October since records began in 1864.
Hallucinogenic news?
Swiss people seem to think that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will result in more fake news of a lower standard than that produced by human journalists. That’s the result of a survey undertaken by the University of Zurich.
Only 29.1% of respondents were interested in AI-generated news while 84.3% said they still have time for content without AI involvement.
Interestingly, people have a greater appetite for AI-generated soft news than hard news.
Over 60% said they would welcome AI-produced weather reports, but few people want to read AI news about politics, the economy or science.
This snapshot of public opinion does not tell us much about the actual quality of AI-generated news. For this we need some detailed science-based research. Having examined the topic, the University of Zurich tends to agree with public opinion.
“AI may be able to re-version content into different languages or tones, but it often makes factual mistakes (so-called hallucinations), and it will struggle to tell stories with empathy or a human touch,” say researchers at the university.
“Focussing on building relationships based on trust and human connection could be an important new mission for news organisations as they struggle to deal with this new disruption.”
Swiss rugby champions?
The rugby World Cup is over, with South Africa crowned champions for the second time in a row. What does that matter for Switzerland?
The next World Cup, to be hosted by Australia, is to be expanded from 20 teams to 24. The Swiss national men’s team is currently ranked 28th in the world (women’s team 51st), meaning the men’s team just has to leapfrog the Netherlands, Brazil, Russia and Hong Kong to take part in the event in 2027.
That might not be beyond the realms of possibility. And while some minnows end up being thrashed by beefier opponents, others – like Portugal in the most recent edition or Japan in years gone by – use the stage to enhance their reputation with thrilling play and upsetting the odds with match victories.
To achieve this lofty ambition, the minority sport must continue to grow in SwitzerlandExternal link.
And it is, with 1,650 children and young people under the age of 18 registered with clubs all over the country and currently playing rugby in the Alpine nation. That’s a solid base for future men’s and women’s national sides.
The other criterion is to attract more talent from born-and-bred Swiss compared to expatriates, who might leave Switzerland when they become adults, or not be eligible to play for the national team.
This appears to be happening too. Former handball enthusiast Peter Weber plays for Rugby Club WinterthurExternal link, having discovered the sport on television as a teenager.
“It looked exotic and familiar at the same time. I could relate to the team spirit shown on the field as well as the physical nature of the sport,” he said.
“The team spirit, the mutual respect of the players and referees on and off the pitch, the physical aspects of the sport as well as the various positions with their specific skill sets are very attractive.”
“In the beginning [2009], our club was heavily dependent on the many expats with rugby experience. But the more the club grew the more Swiss players joined with various backgrounds, such as athletics, american football, martial arts, football or simply no sport at all.”
Switzerland’s 50+ clubs and 5,000+ players have four years to roll up their sleeves to challenge defending champions South Africa next time around.
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