1. Risk Rating 
  2. AI regulation in your jurisdiction
  3. Existing Regulatory Frameworks Applicable to AI
  4. Regulatory Oversight of AI
  5. AI Guidance, Policies, and Strategic Frameworks
  6. International AI Standards and Guidelines
  7. Forthcoming AI Legislation 
  8. Useful links

jurisdiction

Switzerland
Add jurisdiction

Risk Rating 

Medium.

AI regulation in your jurisdiction

There is currently no dedicated AI law in force in Switzerland.

Existing Regulatory Frameworks Applicable to AI

Switzerland does not have a standalone, comprehensive AI statute.  Instead, AI systems are governed through technology-neutral, sector-specific frameworks, and the Federal Council (12 Feb 2025) has confirmed this approach while planning targeted legal adjustments (incl. in view of the Council of Europe AI Convention).

  • Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP): governs AI where personal data is processed.
  • Information Security Act (ISA) + mandatory cyber-incident reporting for critical infrastructures: governs cybersecurity/IT security and incident reporting duties (relevant to AI security, model/data breaches, critical services).
  • Product Safety Act (PrSA) + Product Liability Act (PrLA): governs safety and liability for AI-enabled products/embedded AI (consumer and industrial products placed on the market).
  • Swiss Code of Obligations (CO) + Swiss Civil Code (CC): general contract, tort, and personality-rights rules applying to AI deployments (e.g., defective services, negligence, reputational harm).
  • Federal Act on Unfair Competition (UCA): governs marketing/consumer-facing AI (misleading claims, unfair practices).
  • Copyright Act (CopA): governs training data/content use, software and outputs issues (IP/licensing).
  • Cartel Act (CartA): governs competition/antitrust issues (e.g., algorithmic pricing, platform conduct).
  • Financial market regulation (FINMA framework) + FINMA Guidance 08/2024: governs AI used by banks/insurers/asset managers via governance, risk management, outsourcing and model controls.
  • Therapeutic Products Act (TPA) + Medical Devices Ordinance (MedDO): governs medical/health AI where software qualifies as a medical device (safety, conformity assessment, market surveillance).
  • Swiss Criminal Code: applies to AI-enabled offences (fraud, unlawful access/misuse, etc.).

Regulatory Oversight of AI

Switzerland has no single, designated AI regulator. Oversight is decentralised: policy is coordinated by the Swiss Federal Council and other competent federal offices, while enforcement happens through existing sector regulators (e.g., supervisory authorities on data protection, finance, competition, cybersecurity etc.). For instance, see as follows:

  • Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) with Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) and Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA): policy activity;  preparing a consultation draft on AI regulation by end of 2026,;
  • Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC): key cross-sector enforcement + guidance body where AI involves personal data; FDPIC states the FADP is directly applicable to AI-supported processing and publishes AI/data protection guidance;
  • Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA): active supervision + guidance in financial services; issued Guidance 08/2024 based on observations from ongoing supervision;
  • National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC): operationally active on cyber incidents (mandatory reporting for critical infrastructure effective 1 April 2025); relevant where AI systems create or suffer cyber risks;
  • Competition Commission (COMCO): active enforcement of competition law (cartels, dominance, mergers), applicable to AI-driven market conduct;
  • Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH): sector policy/implementation (e.g., DigiSanté health digitisation programme); and
  • Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic): sector regulator for therapeutic products; has published guidelines on expectations for AI-generated elements in medical products, the respective authorisation context and conducts market surveillance activities.

AI Guidance, Policies, and Strategic Frameworks

Yes, Switzerland has issued several official (mostly non- binding)  policy and strategy documents that set its stance on responsible AI development and use:

  • Federal Council – “Guidelines on Artificial Intelligence for the Confederation” (first published in 2020 and updated several times since then): sets principles (e.g., people-first, transparency, accountability, security) and is intended to guide AI use within the Federal Administration and the development of sectoral AI strategies/regulation.
  • Federal Chancellery (FCh) – “Digital Switzerland Strategy” (2024 edition): overarching framework for Switzerland’s responsible digital transformation, including government priorities/themes that also shape the broader environment for AI deployment.
  • Federal Council – AI regulatory policy decision (12 Feb 2025): sets the official policy direction (ratify the Council of Europe AI Convention; keep regulation sector-specific where possible; develop non-binding measures alongside targeted legal changes).
  • Federal Statistical Office (FSO) – Open Government Data (OGD) Strategy 2019–2023: official framework to expand access to government datasets via opendata.swiss, supporting AI/data-driven innovation and public-sector transparency.
  • State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) – Interdepartmental Working Group on AI report (“Challenges of AI”, 2019/2020): federal baseline analysis identifying priority action areas for authorities; used to steer follow-on measures and coordination.
    Link: https://www.sbfi.admin.ch/en/artificial-intelligence-in-the-eri-sector
  • Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) – “Artificial intelligence and international rules” report (Apr 2022): outlines Switzerland’s approach to international AI governance and positioning in multilateral rule/standards discussions.
    Link: https://www.newsd.admin.ch/newsd/message/attachments/71099.pdf

International AI Standards and Guidelines

Switzerland’s AI policy framework is closely aligned with international instruments and standard-setting such as:

  • Council of Europe (CoE) Framework Convention on AI, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (CoE AI Convention): Switzerland has made this a central reference point—Federal Council decided to enable ratification (Feb 2025) and Switzerland signed the Convention in March 2025.
  • Link: https://www.coe.int/en/web/artificial-intelligence/-/switzerland-signs-the-council-of-europe-s-global-treaty-on-ai
  • European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and broader international human-rights instruments: explicitly referenced as key international legal standards in the Federal Council’s Guidelines on AI for the Confederation (used as a framework for federal administration AI and sectoral strategies).
  • OECD AI Principles (OECD Council Recommendation on AI, 2019 updated 2024): Switzerland, as an OECD member, is part of the group of countries adhering to these principles for trustworthy AI.
  • ISO/IEC AI standards (incl. ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42): Switzerland emphasises participation in international AI standard-setting; Switzerland’s national standards body (SNV) participates in ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 42 (Artificial intelligence)

Forthcoming AI Legislation 

Switzerland is developing AI-specific regulation by implementing the Council of Europe’s AI Convention into Swiss law, but mainly for public-sector actors, and otherwise relying on sector-specific legal amendments plus limited cross-sector rules in core fundamental-rights areas (e.g., data protection). Soft-law measures (e.g., self-declarations/industry solutions) are also planned.

Status & timeline: The FDJP (with DETEC and FDFA) will prepare a consultation draft by end-2026, covering measures on transparency, data protection, non-discrimination and oversight. In parallel, DETEC (with FJPD/FDFA/EAER) will deliver by end-2026 a plan for non-binding accompanying measures, including alignment with key trading partners.

Link: https://www.news.admin.ch/en/nsb?id=104110