2025-11-18 –, Hodler
Tracing the evolution of data science and AI development, we will share the open source community perspective on supporting the Apertus large language model from the Swiss AI Initiative.
Working in data engineering over the past years, I have been tracking the development of open source agents, decision making tools and AI projects based on open data, collecting community resources on open licensing models in the context of automation. Over the past months, we had a massive boost to this with Switzerland's entry on the global stage of so-called Frontier AI models.
With a look back at the launch in September 2025, the hackathons and workshops of the Swiss {ai} Weeks, I will share a few insights from putting Apertus into production, demonstrate exciting capabilities and collaborative tools being developed in the Public AI project. The session will be a chance to share perspectives on opportunities for involvement from the digital sustainability community and civil society at large, and I look forward to hearing your questions.
Additional background can be found in my HACKnight challenge: https://hacknight.dinacon.ch/project/103
(Note: this is a last minute repeat of a presentation given in Biel/Bienne yesterday, stepping in for another speaker who could unfortunately not join us due to illness)
Freelance data engineer and web specialist with senior experience in IT, academia, startups and agencies. Working on a project basis, passing the baton forward through teaching and advisory. Current focus: helping to evaluate, deploy and accelerate open LLM technologies. Supporting public-impact organizations, civic tech initiatives, coworking spaces & open source platforms like CKAN, DJANGO, DRIBDAT, PROXEUS and APERTUS - which you can find in the OSS Directory.