These 3 GenAI examples show the power of science diplomacy

Scientists around the world are on a mission to serve society. They are working on solutions to many of the global challenges we face today and those we will face in the future.

To this end, political, diplomatic and academic alliances play a crucial role in knowledge transfer and ensure that scientific progress makes a difference in society.

This is particularly true in times of geopolitical instability and global conflict. Sometimes the channels of science remain open when understanding or negotiation is no longer possible at a political level. As a physicist, CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) comes to mind as an inspiring example of international scientific cooperation. Founded in the middle of the Cold War, CERN has served as neutral ground in a time of political polarization.

In recent years, the Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) demonstrates another example. Operating in Jordan, researchers from Israel, Palestine and Iran, among others, work together. Switzerland has also increased its efforts in the field of science diplomacy, including through the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA), founded in 2019, in which researchers from ETH Zurich remain actively involved.

These examples illustrate how science diplomacy can transcend the geopolitical arena, building trust and bridging gaps between nations.

Raised in Geneva, science and diplomacy have become an integral part of my life and the daily business of my role as a university president. While diplomacy often addresses current global concerns, science is anticipating future challenges.

Switzerland’s reputation for neutrality places it in a unique position to facilitate global cooperation in science and technology, innovation and knowledge exchange. As a trusted intermediary, the country fosters partnerships across industry, academia and intergovernmental agencies.

To illustrate, consider these three examples of science diplomacy at work. These collaborations in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) highlight the power of cross-sector cooperation in shaping a better future.

Ubiquitous in our everyday lives, we’ve been using artificial intelligence (AI) for more than a decade and have hardly noticed. Whenever you consult your digital assistant, your wellness wearable or you pass a human authentication test, you become an AI consumer.

With the arrival of ChatGPT and GenAI models, the way we work and how we produce is transforming at an overwhelming pace. While there is no doubt about the significant potential of large language models (LLMs), GenAI comes with several risks and imperfections that require guidance and regulation.

Computer scientists at Switzerland’s two federal universities, ETH Zurich and EPFL, working with the Bulgarian AI research institute, INSAIT and ETH spin-off company, LatticeFlow AI, put GenAI to the test to see if it meets the European Union (EU) AI Act’s mandate for transparent and trustworthy AI. The research team developed the first comprehensive technical interpretation of the EU AI Act, translating the act into measurable technical requirements for AI and assessing how well AI models comply with legal requirements.

Meanwhile, academia and industry partners such as Google and IBM are working on frameworks for open innovation and the development of GenAI as a potential technology for good, while minimizing the possibility of harmful AI. As a member of IBM’s AI Alliance, ETH Zurich plans to host a series of multistakeholder roundtables to address potential roadblocks that hinder the democratization of AI on a global scale. They will also examine the challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of the EU AI Act.

ETH Zurich researchers developed a planning tool for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that made the extraordinarily complex task of providing critical medical supplies to people in need more efficient. The tool was deployed in a dozen locations in Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine and, in 2023, saved the ICRC an estimated CHF 3.6 million (approximately $4.1 million).

Now, a new project will explore how the AI tools used in the commercial supply chains of companies such as Amazon could be adopted by humanitarian organizations, where resources are scarce and lives are at stake. The project will investigate the potential of machine learning to improve how the ICRC forecasts the delivery of medical supplies to health facilities in war zones. It will also consider how to apply AI in building a predictive model to improve the accuracy of future forecasts.

Researchers from the Center of Security Studies (CSS) and the Interactive Visualization & Intelligence Augmentation Lab (IVIA) at ETH Zurich are working with the UN to further develop a deep learning model to predict short-term conflict events using techniques adapted from computer vision to support UN peacekeeping missions.

The long-term vision is to create a collaborative human-AI platform involving deep neural networks and a diverse pool of human experts, who can jointly make event forecasts and informed decisions for conflict zones.

The above initiatives in GenAI, humanitarian aid and peacekeeping demonstrate the transformative power of cross-sector collaboration to realize meaningful progress. It helps us to address challenges more effectively in our rapidly changing world. Growing global collaboration through science and technology is now of the utmost importance.

Overcoming political and societal barriers to innovation by promoting open and multilateral cooperation is vital. In this regard, Switzerland’s position as a neutral broker offers a vital model for science diplomacy that transcends geopolitical divisions. Moving forward, it is essential to prioritize collaboration, transparency and ethical standards in science and technology to ensure that any advancements serve the greater good and contribute to a more connected and resilient global society.