NRP 77 on SRF: "We have to take the wheel in our own hands"
Abraham Bernstein, President of the NRP 77 Steering Committee, summarised the most important findings and considerations from the research programme on digital transformation in a 30-minute SRF interview.
After five years of research, the President of the Steering Committee, Abraham Bernstein, presented the results and the impetus derived from the National Research Programme on Digital Transformation in Switzerland for the first time on 28 May.
In the subsequent SRF interview, Abraham Bernstein summarises the core message of NRP 77 once again: "It’s an interplay. And we have to take our responsibility to help shape the digital transformation – to take the wheel in our own hands and not let ourselves drift." The digital transformation is not only changing technologies, but society as a whole. And that is precisely why we need well-founded, empirically proven impulses – not gut feelings.
In the half-hour daily discussion, presenter Simone Hulliger goes into more detail on individual areas of the research programme and the resulting impetus for politics, business and society.
The first area to be addressed is education: NRP 77 recognises that society must adapt to lifelong learning. What responsibility do the employees themselves bear – and when is the employer called upon? (from minute 6:25)
It also deals with the labour market in the digital transformation and the resulting changes in job profiles. (from minute 8:16)
"Employers must learn to utilise interpersonal skills or strategic thinking in a more targeted way."
Finally, the digital transformation is also changing the way we have a say in politics. How digital tools can strengthen democracy – and what it takes to form an informed opinion – can be heard from minute 12:15 onwards. Specific examples from Bern and Aarau show this: Those who have a say in shaping the outcome perceive it as legitimate.
The handling of AI is also discussed: "I don’t have to trust this machine. I need to know: which activity can I rely on to give me the right result?" says Bernstein. How we can develop a healthy sense of the limits of AI systems can be heard from minute 18:23 onwards.
The impetus from the National Research Programme for Digital Transformation is on the table. "Now it’s up to the decision-makers to think about it: What does that mean for us?" says Bernstein. Cantons, education authorities, employers – everyone is called upon to take the wheel and translate the findings into concrete measures.