\u2013 Assessment and Recommendations for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses<\/p>\n\n
Thomas Weihrich<\/p>\n\n
October 12, 2026<\/p>\n\n
In my first report, I explained why small and medium-sized enterprises should actively and carefully implement AI\u2014despite (or perhaps precisely because of) the doomsday rhetoric from the major providers. One aspect was deliberately left open: the ethical dimension. It is now the focus of the SRF program \u201cPerspektiven\u201d featuring Lucerne-based ethicist Peter G. Kirchschl\u00e4ger, who advises the UN, the OSCE, and, most recently, the Pope. His message is clear: AI is not neutral. From raw material extraction through training to actual use, the process is fraught with human rights violations, breaches of data protection and copyright laws, and massive environmental damage. Kirchschl\u00e4ger therefore calls for global regulation and enforcement\u2014and urges every individual to take responsibility for shaping the future. <\/p>\n\n
My conclusion for SMEs: Ethics and productivity are not a contradiction, but two sides of the same coin. Anyone who implements AI makes ethical decisions\u2014in the choice of models, data, and processes. This is exactly where Weihrich AI comes in: A multi-platform solution with nearly 75 language models and 40 tools gives companies a choice\u2014and thus the opportunity to actively implement ethical principles rather than leaving them up to a single provider. <\/p>\n\n
On September 6, 2026, SRF\u2019s \u201cPerspektiven\u201d aired an interview by Judith Wipfler with Peter G. Kirchschl\u00e4ger (approx. 30 minutes; available here<\/a>). Kirchschl\u00e4ger is a professor of theological ethics at the University of Lucerne, president of the Swiss Federal Ethics Commission (EKAH), and an advisor to the UN, UNESCO, the EU, and the OSCE\u2014and was appointed consultor by Pope Leo XIV in August 2026. His research contributed to the encyclical \u201cMagnifica Humanitas,\u201d whose core tenet regarding AI is \u201cthat AI must be disarmed so that it serves humanity and does not become a tool of domination.\u201d <\/p>\n\n Kirchschl\u00e4ger\u2019s personal advice is to use these systems \u201cas little as possible\u201d and to think for yourself. For individuals, this is a legitimate approach. For a company, however, it is not: Four out of five people in Switzerland already use AI for practical matters, and those who don\u2019t participate in their day-to-day work will fall behind. The reality in most SMEs is \u201cshadow AI\u201d\u2014employees have long been using consumer tools, unnoticed by management, resulting in an uncontrolled outflow of data. <\/p>\n\n This is precisely the \u201clever\u201d that Kirchschl\u00e4ger himself refers to when he speaks of the responsibility to shape the future: \u201cSo-called AI doesn\u2019t just fall from the sky; rather, we humans should decide which AI we develop, which we don\u2019t, whether we use it, and how we use it.\u201d This decision isn\u2019t made only in Geneva or by the Pope\u2014it\u2019s made in every company, every day. Ethics doesn\u2019t begin with global regulation, but with the question: Which model for what purpose, using what data, and under what rules? <\/p>\n\n The answer, therefore, is not to do without it, but rather to introduce an AI platform in a controlled manner that offers choices. Weihrich AI (based on Hatz AI) combines nearly 75 language models and 40 tools into a single, centrally managed platform\u2014thereby making ethics an active decision: <\/p>\n\n Peter G. Kirchschl\u00e4ger convincingly demonstrates that AI is not neutral\u2014and that the course is not set in California alone, but by everyone who uses AI. For small and medium-sized enterprises, this means that ethics is not a hindrance, but rather a defining feature of a professional AI implementation. Those who have a choice between models and providers, who control the data flow, and who train their staff can reap the productivity gains of AI\u2014without uncritically accepting the associated human rights and data protection risks. That is exactly what we achieve with Weihrich AI: productivity and human dignity are not mutually exclusive. <\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\n [et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] \u2013 Assessment and Recommendations for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses Thomas Weihrich October 12, 2026 Summary In my first report, I explained why small and medium-sized enterprises should actively and carefully implement AI\u2014despite (or perhaps precisely because of) the doomsday rhetoric from the major providers. One aspect was deliberately […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":6677,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n \u2013 Assessment and Recommendations for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses<\/p>\n\n Thomas Weihrich<\/p>\n\n October 12, 2026<\/p>\n\n In my first report, I explained why small and medium-sized enterprises should actively and carefully implement AI\u2014despite (or perhaps precisely because of) the doomsday rhetoric from the major providers. One aspect was deliberately left open: the ethical dimension. It is now the focus of the SRF program \u201cPerspektiven\u201d featuring Lucerne-based ethicist Peter G. Kirchschl\u00e4ger, who advises the UN, the OSCE, and, most recently, the Pope. His message is clear: AI is not neutral. From raw material extraction through training to actual use, the process is fraught with human rights violations, breaches of data protection and copyright laws, and massive environmental damage. Kirchschl\u00e4ger therefore calls for global regulation and enforcement\u2014and urges every individual to take responsibility for shaping the future. <\/p>\n\n My conclusion for SMEs: Ethics and productivity are not a contradiction, but two sides of the same coin. Anyone who implements AI makes ethical decisions\u2014in the choice of models, data, and processes. This is exactly where Weihrich AI comes in: A multi-platform solution with nearly 75 language models and 40 tools gives companies a choice\u2014and thus the opportunity to actively implement ethical principles rather than leaving them up to a single provider. <\/p>\n\n On September 6, 2026, SRF\u2019s \u201cPerspektiven\u201d aired an interview by Judith Wipfler with Peter G. Kirchschl\u00e4ger (approx. 30 minutes; available here<\/a>). Kirchschl\u00e4ger is a professor of theological ethics at the University of Lucerne, president of the Swiss Federal Ethics Commission (EKAH), and an advisor to the UN, UNESCO, the EU, and the OSCE\u2014and was appointed consultor by Pope Leo XIV in August 2026. His research contributed to the encyclical \u201cMagnifica Humanitas,\u201d whose core tenet regarding AI is \u201cthat AI must be disarmed so that it serves humanity and does not become a tool of domination.\u201d <\/p>\n\n Kirchschl\u00e4ger\u2019s personal advice is to use these systems \u201cas little as possible\u201d and to think for yourself. For individuals, this is a legitimate approach. For a company, however, it is not: Four out of five people in Switzerland already use AI for practical matters, and those who don\u2019t participate in their day-to-day work will fall behind. The reality in most SMEs is \u201cshadow AI\u201d\u2014employees have long been using consumer tools, unnoticed by management, resulting in an uncontrolled outflow of data. <\/p>\n\n This is precisely the \u201clever\u201d that Kirchschl\u00e4ger himself refers to when he speaks of the responsibility to shape the future: \u201cSo-called AI doesn\u2019t just fall from the sky; rather, we humans should decide which AI we develop, which we don\u2019t, whether we use it, and how we use it.\u201d This decision isn\u2019t made only in Geneva or by the Pope\u2014it\u2019s made in every company, every day. Ethics doesn\u2019t begin with global regulation, but with the question: Which model for what purpose, using what data, and under what rules? <\/p>\n\n The answer, therefore, is not to do without it, but rather to introduce an AI platform in a controlled manner that offers choices. Weihrich AI (based on Hatz AI) combines nearly 75 language models and 40 tools into a single, centrally managed platform\u2014thereby making ethics an active decision: <\/p>\n\n Peter G. Kirchschl\u00e4ger convincingly demonstrates that AI is not neutral\u2014and that the course is not set in California alone, but by everyone who uses AI. For small and medium-sized enterprises, this means that ethics is not a hindrance, but rather a defining feature of a professional AI implementation. Those who have a choice between models and providers, who control the data flow, and who train their staff can reap the productivity gains of AI\u2014without uncritically accepting the associated human rights and data protection risks. That is exactly what we achieve with Weihrich AI: productivity and human dignity are not mutually exclusive. <\/p>\n\n <\/p>\n\nThe Key Messages of the Program<\/h2>\n\n
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My view: Ethics is about shaping, not sacrifice<\/h2>\n\n
Recommendation for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses<\/h2>\n\n
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Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n
Sources<\/h2>\n\n
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Summary<\/h2>\n\n
Background: The Show<\/h2>\n\n
The Key Messages of the Program<\/h2>\n\n
\n
My view: Ethics is about shaping, not sacrifice<\/h2>\n\n
Recommendation for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses<\/h2>\n\n
\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n
Sources<\/h2>\n\n
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