News

Researchers at EPFL have created the world’s largest open-access collection of spatial proteomics tissue images, bringing together samples from more than 5,000 patients. Called spora, this new resource aims to accelerate AI research into how tissues function and how diseases develop.

Two AI projects have been selected for funding through the 2026 Geneva AI Initiative, led by the EPFL AI Center in collaboration with the Swiss Data Science Center (SDSC). Proposed by IMPACT Initiatives and GCERF, the projects aim to improve humanitarian research quality and streamline reporting processes through AI.

The EPFL AI Center has appointed Amina Chebira as its new Executive Director, effective 1^st October. She brings extensive experience in strategy, operations and technology-driven programs spanning academia, industry and applied innovation.

The ELIAS Alliance has expanded its pan-European network with eight new regional AI Innovation Nodes, including one in Lausanne, bringing together research, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems across Europe.

Fifteen women from across EPFL are being featured in the 2026 Top 100+ Women in AI, Data & Robotics report, celebrating their engagement and contribution to Switzerland’s rapidly evolving AI ecosystem. 

Artificial intelligence is forcing universities to reinvent how they teach and assess students’ knowledge. According to Dan Schwartz, an expert in learning science at Stanford, the challenge goes well beyond deciding whether to let AI into the classroom – teachers need to think long and hard about what students should really learn.

The Apertus team, a group of researchers at EPFL, ETH Zurich, and the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS), partners with Swiss technology company Proton to make Apertus 1.5 available in Lumo, Proton’s AI assistant. This enables researchers to gain direct feedback from real-world use for the first time.

A team at EPFL have developed a framework that trains Large Language Models to create AI systems that can find the best possible setup or “recipe” for a scientific experiment.

Current AI, a global partnership building a public option for AI, has launched Alpha Chat, an experimental open-source chatbot powered by Apertus, Switzerland’s sovereign large language model. The prototype demonstrates how Apertus can be integrated into applications developed by external organizations.

As AI assistants evolve into AI agents, a new EPFL study has found that the biggest safety risks in their use may not come from single malicious prompts, but from carefully orchestrated conversations.