Zurich43 Retreat 2025: ChatGPT and Generative AI

End of January, participants gathered for the annual Z43 retreat to explore the transformative impact of generative AI across disciplines and to address ethical implications, future projects, and internal guidelines for AI use and development.

Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, is rapidly transforming disciplines across the board. AI’s ability to integrate real-time data access, expand multi-modal functionalities, and enhance reasoning capabilities is unlocking immense potential. Yet, alongside these advancements come pressing ethical and social questions that demand careful consideration.

Against this backdrop, Z43 organized this year’s retreat under the theme "ChatGPT and Generative AI", from January 20 – 21, at Hôtel des Horlogers in Le Brassus in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland.

For the retreat, the established format from retreats of previous years was adopted, with a focus on book presentations enriched with scientific publications, videos, internet research, and diverse multimedia resources. In their discussions, participants explored works that have shaped our understanding of AI and its implications, including A Brief History of Intelligence by Max Bennett, The Worlds I See by Fei-Fei Li, and The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman and Michael Bhaskar. Practical insights on building and using generative AI applications were drawn from books such as Generative AI with LangChain by Ben Auffarth and Generative AI on AWS by Chris Fregly, Antje Barth, and Shelbee Eigenbrode. The sessions also included reflections from The Art of Prompt Engineering with ChatGPT by Nathan Hunter, along with insights from thought leaders like Yuval Noah Harari and Nobel Prize winner Geoffrey Hinton, to explore the crossroads of AI and humanity.

One of the retreat's very interesting elements was a focus on self-reflection, prompting participants to evaluate how they use AI and how it influences their professional lives. As the sessions unfolded, participants delved into topics ranging from AI-driven humanoids and automation to practical applications of AI tools for productivity improvements at Z43. They also explored the use of generative AI in software development, considering its potential to optimize workflows. Complementing these discussions were interactive brainstorming sessions, which inspired new ideas for upcoming AI projects and fostered dialogue on creating internal guidelines for the responsible use and development of AI at Z43.

The retreat would not have been the success it was without the engagement of its participants. Their insights and contributions have set a solid foundation for the exciting challenges and opportunities ahead as we continue to navigate the complex yet transformative world of AI.

Thank you to everyone for making this retreat worthwhile!