IMD Ranking: Switzerland is not AI-ready and risks falling behind

●  Switzerland slips to 9th place in the new «IMD World Digital and AI Ranking 2026». It is behind the USA, Singapore, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Sweden, China and Finland.

●  Under its revised methodology for 2026, the IMD measures the concrete capacity to implement AI. Switzerland’s proven location advantages are overshadowed by noticeable deficits in the field of AI.

● The gap is widening: Switzerland has first-class institutions, good traditional basic infrastructure and top talent, but struggles with new technologies as well as quality-assured data, data centres and the energy they require. When it comes to AI-ready data in public administration, with data protection taken into account, there is an urgent need for action.

● Parliament’s demands focus, in typically Swiss fashion, on risks. But to use AI responsibly, we must use top technologies and see how we can control them.

● Beyond «Alps», the Swiss supercomputer, further investment in research and development is needed to follow, understand and make targeted use of the rapid developments.

● With the Swiss AI Action Plan, digitalswitzerland puts forward proposals for self-determination and control, for determining and meeting the need for computing capacity and the required electricity supply, for funding essential digital projects such as the e-ID, and for a national AI Literacy Campaign to promote the skills needed to use AI responsibly.

In the new «IMD World Digital and AI Ranking 2026», which for the first time also measures readiness to use artificial intelligence (AI), Switzerland ranks only 9th out of 70 countries. In the previous, not directly comparable «World Digital Competitiveness Ranking», it ranked 3rd. «Switzerland needs to get faster. Especially in the framework conditions for digital technologies, it must find ways to speed up decisions», says Arturo Bris, Director of the IMD World Competitiveness Center.

digitalswitzerland CEO Franziska Barmettler says: «Switzerland’s location factors have not yet kept pace with the speed of the AI age. Where existing rules and structures hold back our competitiveness, we must have the courage to question them fundamentally. It is not about a place in the ranking, but about our prosperity. Those who wait on AI leave tomorrow’s value creation to others. Already today, jobs are being cut in Switzerland and AI investments are being made abroad.»

Thanks to its traditional strengths, Switzerland remains in the top 10: regulatory framework (rank 1) and talent (rank 3). But a strong general environment does not automatically produce good rules for AI, the IMD notes. In AI governance, Finland leads, followed by the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden; Switzerland ranks only 31st.

What is needed now

1. Secure computing power and electricity, make data AI-ready

We need computing capacity through European and international consortia and a demand forecast for electricity and computing capacity. As for data, basic infrastructure is lacking, in particular public data that is AI-ready and made available in secure data spaces with data protection taken into account. AI is only as good as the data it is trained on. This requires interoperable data spaces and binding data standards, first at federal level, then across all levels of government.

2. Research and development

Switzerland excels in research (1st in knowledge transfer, 13th in research infrastructure), but lacks scale and risk appetite to turn it into concrete applications: it ranks only 31st in capital and AI investment and 33rd in investment incentives.

3. A state that delivers

The public sector is too passive: Switzerland ranks 30th in public leadership, that is, the state’s digital leadership role, and 45th in core government systems.

Arturo Bris points to the lack of a national AI strategy with clear ownership at federal level, that is, a fixed responsibility for AI and digitalisation within the federal administration, as well as more agile political and regulatory processes. «We have not implemented the e-ID so far, while many other countries have. Now we see the consequences. We do not have the same access to services as other European countries», says Bris.

Parliament must not sacrifice digital infrastructure in the budget, not even in discretionary spending, but must invest in these key projects in a targeted way. The state should take a pioneering role in AI in administration and public services. This AI strategy must bring all departments and levels of government along. The Swiss AI Action Plan is digitalswitzerland’s bottom-up approach, driven by the AI ecosystem, to pool skills and resources, but it does not replace a national guideline.

Franziska Barmettler adds: «Those who cut back on e-ID, data spaces and DigiSanté are saving in the wrong place, because without this infrastructure AI lacks its foundation. We also have to start thinking now about the electricity and computing capacity we will need in ten years and get on with implementation.»

4. Empowering people

Switzerland ranks 27th in AI skills, even though four out of five people in Switzerland use AI. According to the DigitalBarometer 2026, however, only 53 percent of the population have practical skills. «Education policy should integrate more general AI training, including in continuing education: not only in schools, but also by the state helping organisations to train their people», says Bris.

To strengthen these AI skills, digitalswitzerland will launch a national AI Literacy Campaign in April 2027. With the participation of the federal government and business, it aims to reach one million people in three languages.

5. Building trust through smart regulation

The high level of trust in Swiss institutions does not carry over to AI: Switzerland ranks 32nd in public trust in AI and 37th in AI laws passed. Over 60 percent of executives cite cybersecurity as a barrier to scaling AI, the second-highest value worldwide after Malaysia.

We call for a reliable and innovation-friendly legal framework for AI, as decided by the Federal Council and soon to be sent out for consultation. It envisages a high degree of responsibility for companies, which complement the law with sectoral self-commitments, because regulation always lags behind technology.

You can find the full report here: https://www.imd.org/centers/wcc/world-competitiveness-center/rankings/world-digital-competitiveness-ranking/

Further details on the Swiss AI Action Plan are available here: https://ai-actionplan.ch