4yrs
Most Baby Boomers will reach retirement and enter knowledge handover.
University of ZurichDigital Society InitiativeUZH.ai
Silver AI Study
A generation of knowledge is about to retire.
How the Baby Boomers can save AI transformation.
AI transformation is a knowledge-to-data challenge. Operational expertise must first become usable data to fuel automation and AI agents. For Switzerland, competing through expertise rather than low costs, failing to leverage this know-how threatens productivity and competitiveness.
- Location
- Zurich
- Launch
- Launching June 2026
- Eligibility
- Swiss organizations, 150+ employees
01 - The Challenge
The Swiss economy loses billions in critical knowledge every year. Most of it is undocumented and essential for AI to succeed.
150+
Swiss organizations of this size are invited as survey and development partners.
1st
The first generation that must transfer operational expertise into usable data at scale.
02 - The Study
A pioneering study on the human side of knowledge retention.
The University of Zurich, through the Digital Society Initiative and UZH.ai, together with AILAS, is launching a study into what makes people willing to share operational knowledge and how AI-assisted systems can help organizations build their company brain.
Without contextual knowledge, automation and AI agents cannot scale effectively. The study examines willingness, incentives, and the perceived value of knowledge sharing across the Swiss workforce.
01
What the study asks
What makes employees willing to share operational knowledge, and what incentives or systems would they actually use?
02
How it is run
Qualitative interviews combined with quantitative surveys to identify practical, transferable frameworks for knowledge sharing.
03
Where findings go
Results inform AI-assisted knowledge systems by AILAS, a UZH spin-off and applied research partner.
03 - Why Baby Boomers
The key group, leaving faster than companies can capture.
Baby Boomers are the focus because most will take part in knowledge-handover activities within the next four years. We expect this group to show the highest willingness to share experience, making them ideal for developing a knowledge-sharing model across the organization.
For Switzerland, failing to leverage this know-how threatens productivity and competitiveness. Baby Boomers are leaving the workforce faster than organizations can capture and transfer their operational knowledge.
04 - The Team
A cross-disciplinary team from research and applied AI.
Prof. Dr. Markus Christen
Managing Director, UZH Digital Society Initiative. Leader, Digital Ethics Lab.
Janmejay Singh
AILAS. Role and title to confirm.
Alessandro Tacconelli
AILAS. Role and title to confirm.
Joel Donze
AILAS. Role and title to confirm.
Applied research partner and collaborators
AILAS
Company Brains
StraTac
Transformation Consulting
Team Human
Human-centered AI
UZH - DSI
Digital Society Initiative
UZH.ai
University of Zurich
05 - Participate
Bring your company into the study.
Swiss organizations with more than 150 employees are invited to participate as survey or development partners and help shape practical frameworks for AI-assisted knowledge retention.
- 01Benchmarked survey results against peer organizations.
- 02Early access to findings as the study develops.
- 03Priority access to pilot programs for AI-assisted retention.
06 - Follow the study
Stay close to the findings.
Details, contact information, and the newsletter signup live at silver-ai.ch/study. Get launch updates, early findings, and pilot announcements.