Swiss
Digital
Initiative

Updating the Digital Trust Label for AI

Nicolas Zahn 14.05.2024 The first tool supporting organisations in implementing Artificial intelligence (AI) in a trustworthy and responsible way is launched in Switzerland. The Digital Trust Label (DTL) is a response to growing user mistrust and mounting regulatory activity. Today, the Swiss Digital Initiative (SDI) and its partners break new ground  by expanding the DTL to AI.
The Digital Trust Label (DTL) was launched in January 2022 to promote trust and transparency in digital services. Building on this mission, the Criteria Catalogue used for the audit behind the DTL has now been extended to better include AI through an extensive and collaborative process with co-development partners and the Digital Trust Expert Group.
“Analogous to an organic label or a nutritional value table, the Digital Trust Label acts as a seal of trust for the digital world,” explains Doris Leuthard, President of the SDI Foundation Board. “With this updated Criteria Catalogue, the DTL is now AI ready and closing the current gap between increased demand for AI and evolving regulation. The DTL allows companies to move ahead with deploying AI in a trustworthy way.” 
The updated Criteria Catalogue not only serves as the basis for the DTL audits but also provides guidance to organisations interested in benefiting from the potential of AI in a responsible and trustworthy way while safeguarding end-users of AI-enabled digital services. As the field of AI evolves further, SDI will also be launching additional guidance publications.
This achievement solidifies the DTL as a unique tool for digital service providers to maintain and build user trust also when implementing in particular Generative AI (GenAI). With growing regulatory activity around the world and a proliferation of principles, the DTL remains unique by operationalizing abstract values and principles into a verifiable auditing scheme. While regulations and standards are catching up, the DTL offers a solution that increases transparency for end-users of digital services already today.
Harnessing the potential of AI requires Digital Trust
SDI was founded to work on Digital Trust already in 2020 and the importance of the topic is constantly increasing with new AI applications being launched daily. Questions around the trustworthiness of AI systems and the integrity of data inputs and outputs is slowing down adoption through lack of trust from users and businesses alike. 
Building on the proven Criteria Catalogue of the DTL, the additional criteria specifically address the trust issues raised by AI and GenAI. Along the existing DTL dimensions – security, data protection, reliability, and fair user interaction – the AI-specific criteria states e.g. information and transparency duties towards end-users, procedures for risk management, addresses bias in algorithmic systems and ethical considerations regarding training data.  
A practical and pragmatic solution in a time of uncertainty
Since the beginning of the Swiss Digital Initiative, the non-profit foundation headquartered in Geneva has worked on putting ethical principles into practice and has brought together experts, practitioners, and digital service providers in a collaborative process. The Digital Trust Label is the result of this process and unique by putting the end-user of digital service at the centre and providing a tool to digital service providers to clearly communicate their adherence to trustworthy practices.
Any organisation globally offering digital solutions to end users is invited to go through the new DTL Criteria Catalogue to learn more about what trustworthiness from a user perspective means and to have their digital services audited. Organisations having already received the DTL for a digital service include Cisco, Credit Exchange, Julius Baer, Kudelski IoT, OneLog, PeopleWeek, Swisscom, Swiss Post, Swiss Re, Tresorit UNICEF and Wefox. The DTL as a working auditing scheme can also be licensed, providing an interesting opportunity for companies looking to certify the trustworthiness of digital services.   
Documents
DTL Criteria Catalogue

The Era of Generative AI: My trust becomes even more important

Jessica Espinosa & Nicolas Zahn • November 2023 2023 has been the “boom” year of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). This type of AI focuses on generating original and creative outputs, such as texts, images, music, and much more. Already in use in multiple digital apps, this technology will massively increase everyone’s exposure to the opportunities, capabilities, and challenges of AI, affecting all of us in many aspects of our everyday lives.
From academia and education to social media and the music industry, generative AI sets out to change the world. Presenting immense opportunities for innovation, spurring human and industry development, generative AI also raises delicate questions about privacy and intellectual property rights, inclusivity, transparency, and accountability. In addition, the probability of spreading disinformation and misinformation (including the creation of new songs by replicating artists’ voices) has triggered heightened political attention and pressure to govern and regulate AI.
Just last week, between October 30th and November 3rd, G7 leaders welcomed the Hiroshima AI Process Comprehensive Policy Framework as international guiding principles for AI, the Bletchley Declaration from the AI Safety Summit was adopted by 28 countries and the European Union and the United States presented and Executive Order that explicitly mentions the intent to “Develop standards, tools, and tests to help ensure that AI systems are safe, secure, and trustworthy”. Those developments together with an overview of the current global discourse, challenges, and opportunities for AI use from the public sector to education and governance were also discussed at the AI Policy Summit at ETH Zürich that brought together practitioners, academics, and policymakers from over 100 countries.
Although all of these developments are positive frameworks aiming to encourage transparency and accountability from AI developers to measure, monitor, and mitigate potential harm, the multiplicity of initiatives and policy proposals also leads to uncertainty for companies developing and implementing AI. Likewise, customers of digital products and services using AI are still mostly in the dark about what AI means for them. Customers and users of the digital space are demanding more and more transparency in the technology they use. They want to be aware of the privacy policies, the algorithms behind the processes and, in general, how trustworthy the technology is.
At the Swiss Digital Initiative, we have developed a practical solution to address transparency and trustworthiness in digital technology: the Digital Trust Label. Developed as a tool for companies to denote that they are transparent about the technology employed, particularly when it comes to the use of AI algorithms, the Digital Trust Label builds trust between the users and digital technology providers. When it comes to AI, a recent study by the University of Basel confirms that “the presence of a certification label significantly increases participants’ trust and willingness to use AI”. Hence, the Label is both a solution to increase trust in the digital world and a way to exert the development of ethical, safe, and inclusive AI algorithms.
Learn more about the Digital Trust Label https://digitaltrust-label.swiss/

SDI welcomes Nicolas Zahn as new Managing Director

SDI • October 2023 Starting October 1st, the Swiss Digital Initiative is thrilled to introduce Nicolas Zahn as its new Managing Director.
Nicolas Zahn has been an integral part of SDI for the past two years, overseeing interactions with our Digital Trust Expert Group and representing SDI in various working groups. With expertise on digital transformation’s political, social and economic consequences, and a deep understanding of digital trust and artificial intelligence, we cannot think of a better fit to lead this new chapter for the Swiss Digital Initiative.
As Nicolas embarks on his journey as Managing Director, we remain committed to advancing the discourse on Digital Trust, both domestically as well as on the international stage. We will continue to provide valuable in-depth insights and practical tools, including the Digital Trust Label, for organisations seeking to bolster their digital trust practices.
The SDI team would like to express our deepest appreciation for Fathi Derder’s leadership and contributions throughout his time with us. We wish him the very best in his exciting new role as producer and host of “Le Grand Soir” at RTS!
🚀 Stay tuned for exciting projects and developments in this new chapter of SDI!