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Rethinking intelligence

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ETH Zurich had a presence at the World Economic Forum in Davos for the second time. With the tagline “RETHINKING INTELLIGENCE” the university invited not only WEF participants but also the locals on a voyage of discovery into the world of artificial intelligence.

by Simon Zogg
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Video: PPR / Michael Steiner

Rock-paper-scissors, rock-paper-scissors, rock-paper-scissors” this chant has echoed across playgrounds for generations. And for all that time, children have been searching for the perfect, undefeatable strategy. Finally, a robotic hand called Dextra has mastered it: thanks to artificial intelligence, the hand is virtually unbeatable. How it feels to play against this robotic hand was an experience open not only to children, but also to the political and business elite who visited the ETH Zurich pavilion at the World Economic Forum in Davos. With its RETHINKING INTELLIGENCE exhibition, the university presented the latest research in artificial intelligence. Besides Dextra, visitors could also experience a 3D-printed brain, the robot dog ANYmal, and BrainRunners, a virtual race in which the contestants control their movements using only their thoughts. One of the fascinated guests was Hereditary Prince Alois von Liechtenstein, who honoured the ETH pavilion on Tuesday with a surprise visit.  

The public exhibits were only one part of ETH Zurich’s presence at the WEF: the university also organised multiple events for invited guests. “By presenting at the WEF, we want to connect with other top international universities and also network with top-level business and political leaders,” says ETH President Lino Guzzella about the reasons for ETH’s presence at the conference. He continues: “In addition, this is an opportunity for ETH to bring the people of the Graubünden canton and the political arena closer together.” In that vein, ETH addressed a very local topic with its “Challenge Rumantsch”: four projects in the ETH pavilion were aimed at enriching the Romansh culture. These ideas were developed by local schoolchildren in collaboration with ETH students. ETH Board President Fritz Schiesser in particular was taken with the projects: “ETH has shown how new technologies can help promote Switzerland’s fourth official language.”

New technologies were the focus at all the other events, too. For example, ETH experts spoke with top international researchers about the challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence. What’s more, on Tuesday ETH Zurich joined with Swiss federal railways (SBB) in launching a mobility initiative for Switzerland. And ETH’s robot ANYmal even inspired Swiss Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard to join it in a little dance. No word on how she fared against robotic hand Dextra in a bout of rock-paper-scissors.

Impressions of this year's WEF in Davos

Practically speaking, robotic hand Dextra cannot be defeated in “rock-paper-scissors”, not even at the WEF. Royalty at the ETH pavilion: Hereditary Prince Alois von Liechtenstein hears about the wonders of artificial intelligence from an enthusiastic Lino Guzzella, President of ETH. How can new technologies foster Switzerland’s fourth official language? This is a topic that interests Fritz Schiesser, President of the ETH Board (on the right). A teddy bear teaches Romansh in a playful way. The “Bumperfatscha” project seeks to break down language barriers via social media. All eyes on the brain: ETH’s exhibition bears the headline “RETHINKING INTELLIGENCE” How the human brain works is still a mystery. Thanks to augmented reality, visitors can learn more about this miraculous wonder. First time in proper snow: The ANYmal robot can navigate even the peaks in Davos without any difficulty. First time in proper snow: The ANYmal robot can navigate even the peaks in Davos without any difficulty. Young visitors too are fascinated with ANYmal and listen closely to an explanation of the robot’s finer points. Experts from Google, Starmind, Silicon Valley Robotics, the Swiss AI Lab and ETH Zurich discussed the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence. Another discussion participant: Yulia Sandamirskaya, Neuromorphic Cognitive Robots (ETH Zurich and University of Zurich) Also speaking about artificial intelligence: Patrick Warnking, head of Google Switzerland National and international media are also interested in ETH’s topics. ETH Zurich researchers present the latest insights from artificial intelligence to the guests. BrainRunners is a virtual race in which the contestants are powered by their thoughts alone. Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard, SBB CEO Andreas Meyer (right) and ETH President Lino Guzzella launch a new mobility initiative at the WEF. Bringing momentum to mobility: Andreas Meyer, Doris Leuthard and Lino Guzzella. ETH Professor and micro-/nanotechnology expert Simone Schürle presents findings from her research at the WEF.

All images: ETH Zurich / Andreas Eggenberger

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