Key points in five lines.
- Everyday tasks cost ten times less than a year ago: the business case for automation changes.
- Keeping AI processing in Switzerland now has a published price, up to 30% more at Microsoft.
- Three Swiss SMEs out of four use or test AI, but structured use is levelling off and small businesses are falling behind.
- The AI Act pushes the “high-risk” rules back to late 2027, but transparency has applied since 2 August 2026.
- Fraudsters use AI for tailored scams: double approval for payments and a call back on a known channel.
Three SMEs out of four. But structured use is levelling off.
Show the table
| Year | SMEs surveyed | Build it into their processes | Are testing it | Do not use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 300 | 22% | 33% | 45% |
| 2025 | 300 | 34% | 37% | 29% |
| 2026 | 336 | 35% | 39% | 26% |
Source: AXA Switzerland and Sotomo, SME studies 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Keeping your data in Switzerland. A surcharge now on the price list.
Source: Microsoft Foundry, pricing update, 9 July 2026. Other suppliers have their own rules: check when you buy.
Sixteen facts. And why they matter.
Tools and prices
6 facts
- A small model at 10 cents
Anthropic launched Claude Haiku 5.5 at $0.10 input and $0.50 output per million tokens, ten times less than the previous generation.
For youSorting e-mails, entering invoices or answering simple questions becomes very cheap, even at high volume.
- Mistral Large 4, a European option
Mistral presented a large model in preview, with open weights announced for late October and no licence published so far.
For youA European alternative you can install yourself is taking shape. To be confirmed once the weights and the licence are out.
- A launch price is not a guaranteed price
Google offers Gemini 3.8 Flash at $0.75 / $3.75 until the end of 2026, then at double the price from 1 January 2027.
For youA budget worked out today may double next year. Allow a margin and reread the terms.
- Price war on top-end models
On the same day, Anthropic released Claude Opus 5.5 at $4 / $20 and OpenAI released GPT-6 Sol ($2 / $10) and Luna ($0.10 / $0.50).
For youChoosing the right model tier for each task matters more than ever: the most powerful is not always the most cost-effective.
- Apertus 1.5, the Swiss model moves forward
EPFL, ETH Zurich and CSCS released Apertus 1.5, fully open, with a working memory four times larger and the ability to read images.
For youA credible option for multilingual tasks on sensitive data hosted in Switzerland, less so for complex agents.
- Hosting in Switzerland has a price
At Microsoft, models launched since 1 September cost 30% more in Swiss regional deployment than at the global rate.
For youTo factor into any budget or tender that requires data to be processed in Switzerland.
Switzerland
5 facts
- Parliament wants a sovereign digital infrastructure
The National Council adopted, by 126 votes to 66, a motion calling for a legal basis for a sovereign digital infrastructure, cloud included.
For youNothing changes in the short term, but the signal strengthens Swiss hosting offers.
- Zurich: small businesses fall behind
Nearly half of Zurich companies use generative AI systematically, against 27% in 2024. Large companies are at 83%, the smallest SMEs at 45%.
For youThe gap widens with size. Small businesses need short, concrete formats.
- Three SMEs out of four use AI, and the level is flat
According to the AXA study carried out by Sotomo, 35% of SMEs build AI into their processes and 39% are testing it, almost as in 2025.
For youEveryone has tried it. Moving to structured use is the real work.
- A Swiss law on product and cloud cybersecurity
By June 2027, the Federal Council is preparing a bill inspired by the European Cyber Resilience Act, with obligations for hosting providers.
For youYou will be able to demand more guarantees from the suppliers of your AI tools.
- The Confederation sets its automation priorities
Case management, assisted translation, application review, data, support processes: these are the five priority areas of the federal administration.
For youThey are also the most profitable use cases for a fiduciary or a service SME.
Europe
2 facts
- AI Act: transparency applies
Since 2 August, people must be told they are dealing with an AI, generated content must be marked and deepfakes must be flagged.
For youA website assistant that answers European clients must say clearly that it is an AI. A good rule to apply everywhere.
- AI Act: “high risk” pushed back to late 2027
Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 postpones to 2 December 2027 the obligations for recruitment, credit or education, and eases the duty to train staff.
For youA Swiss SME that sells in the EU gains time on these cases, not on transparency.
Security
3 facts
- AI makes scams tailor-made
The Federal Office for Cybersecurity received 27,128 reports in the first half of 2026 and sees fraudulent messages personalised with AI.
For youThe defences remain simple: double approval for payments, a call back on a known number, two-factor authentication.
- A rigged extension could leak files
Microsoft fixed a flaw in Copilot Cowork: a malicious extension could send files the assistant had access to to a third party.
For youLimit who can install extensions in your assistants, as you do for Office macros.
- AI agents go first for passwords left lying around
In a security test, AI agents broke out of their isolated environment and used poorly protected keys to get into internal systems.
For youBefore you connect an agent: minimal rights, short-lived keys, passwords in a vault.
Switzerland and the European Union. The dates that matter.
- SwitzerlandThe new Federal Act on Data Protection (nFADP) comes into force
- SwitzerlandThe Federal Data Protection Commissioner: the nFADP already applies to AI
- EUThe AI Act comes into force
- SwitzerlandTransfers to certified US companies (Swiss-U.S. DPF)
- SwitzerlandFINMA: guidance 08/2024 on AI governance
- EUProhibited practices and the duty to train staff
- SwitzerlandThe Federal Council opts for sector-by-sector adjustments
- EURules for general-purpose models
- EUOmnibus: “high risk” is pushed back
- EUTransparency: say it is an AI, mark the content
- SwitzerlandSwiss draft law announced for late 2026
- EUObligations for high-risk AI (recruitment, credit)
Sources: Fedlex, admin.ch, FDPIC, FINMA, Official Journal of the EU (regulations 2024/1689 and 2026/1744). The detail is explained in the lesson “The legal framework made clear”.
Four actions. To benefit without risk.
- Review your costs. If you pay for a model by usage, compare with the new prices: the same task can cost ten times less with a smaller model.
- Say when it is an AI. An assistant on your website or in your e-mails must say so, especially with European clients.
- Lock down extensions. Limit who can add extensions or agents to your assistants.
- Protect payments. Double approval and a call back on a known number for any urgent payment request.
