ETH Alumni Forum: AI and knowledge sharing in the community

On 26 June 2023, board members of the affiliate organisations as well as associates and staff from the ETH Alumni Association office met for the annual ETH alumni forum. The forum of the ETH Alumni Association serves to share ideas, to network and to deepen knowledge of specific topics with the aim of further developing the ETH Alumni Association. The focal topic last Monday evening was artificial intelligence. And not without good reason: the current “ETH Alumni Knowledge Network” project is based on artificial intelligence. As part of transformation of the ETH Alumni Association, there are plans to create an AI-supported knowledge network for alumni and alumnae. This new service will make membership even more attractive for ETH alumni.
At the start of the forum, Jeannine Pilloud outlined the various subject areas being progressed in order to transform the ETH Alumni Association. The subject of “Strategy Review” is earmarked as a priority. “A transformation can only succeed if it has a good level of support and is plausible and comprehensible for all the stakeholders involved,” stressed Jeannine Pilloud. “This is why the transformation is being undertaken in close collaboration with ETH. The affiliate organisations are of course also being involved and feedback on their needs is being sought out.” During the transformation phase, the board of the ETH Alumni Association will receive regular and transparent updates on the stages of development and imminent milestones.

Workshops on exchanging ideas within the ETH alumni community

What can artificial intelligence deliver for the transfer of knowledge between ETH alumni and alumnae? The thrilling keynote speech given by Marcel Vontobel on “Human intelligence in the age of artificial intelligence” provided the attendees with stimuli for the subsequent round of questions and group discussions. Before this, board member Daniel Naeff, who manages the “Knowledge Network” subject area, and Camillo Lemos, who is heading up the pilot project, provided detailed information of the planned AI-supported knowledge network. In the group discussions which followed, attendees discussed the question of what target groups and content such a network should feature in order to generate the most value-added possible for the ETH alumni members. Following the presentation of the group results in the plenum, the evening was rounded off with an apero and stimulating talk. Many thanks to everyone who contributed their ideas and experiences. The results of the group work will be incorporated into development of the network. We are already looking forward to the next forum!

Keyword transformation: the ETH Alumni Association is strengthening its position in the long term

The plan is to optimise the structures and processes of the ETH Alumni Association with the goals of strengthening its position in the long term: this means boosting membership growth and to further expand the member services offered by the ETH Alumni Association. In order to achieve these goals, Jeannine Pilloud, who was elected president in May 2023, together with the board of the ETH Alumni Association and office staff have initiated a process of transformation. By the end of 2024 at the latest, this process aims to double membership, make a high-quality knowledge platform available, drive forward close collaboration with ETH and fully meet all the strict data protection requirements.