Over two days, three tracks, 75+ speakers, and more than 2,000 attendees—engineers, researchers, VCs, startup founders, and, of course, some of our Swissnex team—came together to hear from some of the brightest minds in AI. Speakers like Mark Chen, VP of Research at OpenAI, Peter Norvig, Director of Research at Google, Joe Spisak, Product Director, Generative AI at Meta, and many more shared their insights on the future of AI.
So, what are the trends, and where is it heading? Will these two days help us pinpoint where we stand with AI on the Gartner Hype Cycle? This is especially true given recent questions about the true value of AI and Generative AI after an unprecedented surge of popularity at the end of 2022. Is all this investment in AI truly sustainable? Are we seeing stagnation or progress?
Here are a few highlights.
The Future of Search
Neo4J, a leading graph database management system, suggests that integrating knowledge graphs into Retrieval-Augmented Generation (GraphRAG) can significantly enhance GenAI results by making them more accurate, explainable, and scalable. Knowledge graphs enable humans and machines to understand better and reason about data, improving the transparency of decision-making processes. Philip Rathle, Chief Technology Officer at Neo4J, highlighted this by tracing the evolution of web search—from early full-text search engines like Yahoo, AOL, and Netscape to Google’s game-changing PageRank algorithm in 1998 and the introduction of the knowledge graph in 2012.
Looking ahead, the combination of large language models (LLMs) with GraphRAG could drastically change how we search and interact with information. More generally speaking, with the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity used as search platforms, the very way people look for information online is shifting. This transformation will likely lead to new business models and strategies in the coming months and years.
Agents everywhere
Agents were the buzzword of the day. Whether it was multi-agent systems, agentic workflows, or frameworks—AI agents were everywhere. In fact, last July, MIT Technology Review published an article titled “What are AI agents? The next big thing is AI tools that can do more complex tasks.” And they certainly seem to become just that. In simple terms, an AI agent is a system or program capable of autonomously performing tasks on behalf of a user or another system, as IBM puts it.
One of the standout presentations was from CrewAI, a leading multi-agent platform. Their tools allow the creation of “crews” of AI agents—like social media analysts, content creators, chief content officers, and senior content writers—each utilizing different large language models (LLMs) customized to specific roles. Their biggest applications for agents so far include operational automation (42%), followed by marketing (12%), code development (9.8%), and research (8.7%).
Google Cloud also highlighted its Vertex AI Agent Builder, a platform introduced earlier this year to help developers create and deploy AI agents. Keelin McDonell, a Product Manager for Generative AI at Google Cloud, showcased how these agents are transforming tasks, such as market research, streamlining workflows, and enhancing productivity.
Great opportunity for Startups
GitHub Copilot, a code completion and automation tool developed by GitHub and OpenAI (now owned by Microsoft), has significantly transformed software development. According to their recent data, 46% of new code is now generated by AI, with 96% of developers reporting increased speed when tackling repetitive tasks. In an engaging yet a little commercially-driven keynote, Annie Pearl, Corporate VP at Microsoft, shared their vision for AI-powered startups. She highlighted how Microsoft is driving the next wave of innovation through its Azure AI Studio—a platform where startups can test, build, and deploy AI solutions. From AI services and machine learning to AI infrastructure, the Azure AI Studio offers everything needed to accelerate innovation. For example, GoodCall, an AI-powered phone assistant, showcased the platform’s potential.
The conference happened to be a great place for our Swiss Startups to connect with the ecosystem and share their projects. Joel Kaiser, CIO of the Swiss startup AIDONIC, showcased the company’s vision during the pitch competition, securing second place. AIDONIC has been on an impressive winning streak, having also claimed victory at the Swissnex pitch night on September 17 and at the Peace, Justice & Inclusive Society Startup Competition held at the United Nations in New York shortly afterward.
The Changing Face of Work
After hearing all of this, we can’t help but wonder how these advancements will inevitably reshape the labor market, redefining not only the concept of work but also expertise itself. Throughout history, the nature of labor has evolved with each major technological leap, but this time feels different. If everyone can suddenly become an expert with the aid of AI, does that mean no one truly is?
Lareina Yee, Chair of the McKinsey Technology Council, offered another thought-provoking insight in her talk, The New Relationship Between Machines and People. She posed crucial questions: “How do you foster trust and understanding in something so new, especially among the people expected to use it? You might start with a pilot group of 100 users, but for AI to have a real economic impact—one that touches on that $4.4 trillion potential—you need scale. So when 10,000 or 40,000 employees use it, how do you bring them along on that journey? How do you make them feel like they’re truly co-creating the solutions?”
Safe AI
Another hot topic in California lately has been AI regulation, particularly Senate Bill SB 1047, which aims to ensure the safe development of large-scale AI systems through clear standards and guidelines. During the conference, California State Senator Scott Wiener, who introduced the bill, engaged in a lively debate with Ion Stoica, Professor at UC Berkeley’s EECS Department. While the discussion raised several important questions, the general sentiment among the audience was that this legislation marks a positive first step toward responsible AI development.
At the time this article was released, the bill had been vetoed by California’s governor, Gavin Newsom.
On a similar mission to promote safe and responsible AI is the AI Alliance—a collaborative network of companies, startups, universities, research institutions, government organizations, and non-profit foundations that gave an insightful presentation on the value and DNA of open source in the community. Key members of the alliance include EPFL, ETH Zurich, and CERN, all working together through specialized initiatives and working groups dedicated to different thematic areas in AI development with its mission of building an open AI, not OpenAI.
To revisit one of the questions, we began with: Where are we on the hype cycle? While the frenzy around generative technologies may have peaked the enthusiasm is still real. We’re now in the phase where businesses seek practical applications and industries focusing on real-world use cases.
The scale of investment in AI we saw in the past year and months can be staggering. Although significant uncertainty persists regarding the exact timeline and magnitude of returns on these investments, the fear of missing out on such a transformative technological revolution appears to be a powerful motivating factor for many companies.
One thing is certain: we are in an exceptionally exciting time, with a great deal happening.
Swissnex and its San Francisco location are at the forefront of this landscape, playing a central role in the intersection of AI, education, and the creative industries.
In 2024, we launched Déjà Vu, an event series exploring the relationship between AI and human creativity, raising critical questions about the nature, ethics, and future of artistic creation in an age of intelligent machines. On the entrepreneurship side, a Startup internationalization bootcamp focused on AI startups. We specifically chose six promising AI startups that are part of the Innosuisse Coaching Programs and assisted them in navigating the Silicon Valley ecosystem. We organized sessions with local experts, regulators, potential partners, and successful entrepreneurs to help the founders better validate their technologies, find customers, and raise funds.
More initiatives in AI, education, and other key areas are underway to ensure that Switzerland remains a leading player in the space and embraces change. If you’re interested in exploring opportunities with our Swissnex team, we’d love to connect.
As the founder of CrewAI concluded his presentation- ‘The genie is not getting back in the bottle.’
Written by Maulde Cuérel, AI Program Manager at Swissnex in San Francisco. Maulde is committed to connecting Switzerland and the Bay Area in AI. Her main objective is to ensure that we are active in the future of AI and that Switzerland continues to be a key player in this sector.
Edited by Sophie Bohnen, Head of Communications at Swissnex in San Francisco