AI workshop for managing directors in the Swiss mid-market: DSG first, EU AI Act with market exposure
Not an EU member — but AI obligations anyway? For Swiss companies the DSG comes first; the EU AI Act only bites with EU market exposure. What the AI workshop clarifies for Swiss decision-makers: data position, use cases and guidelines without regulatory guesswork.
PASSION4IT offers the AI workshop for managing directors at a fixed price of €3,900 in Switzerland as well. The workshop takes one day with six hours of work and takes place at your company in Switzerland or at our offices in Viechtach. The fixed price of €3,900 net applies regardless of location and is invoiced in euros. Travel costs are added and agreed before the engagement. German BAFA funding only applies to companies based in Germany, so it does not apply to Swiss companies. At the end you have worked-out use cases with a pilot plan for the next 30 days, plus AI rules on which data may go into which tool.
An AI workshop for managing directors in the Swiss mid-market clarifies the three questions that precede any AI investment — are we ready, where do we start, what can go wrong: the PASSION4IT AI workshop answers them in a 6-hour strategy session at a fixed price of EUR 3,900 net, with the maturity level per department, worked-out use cases, AI rules and a pilot plan for the next 30 days — as an in-person workshop, either at your company or at our offices in Viechtach.
The workshop is aimed at managing directors, COOs and team leads of Swiss companies who want to use AI economically — while keeping two legal frameworks in view: the revised Swiss Data Protection Act (DSG) and, depending on the business model, the EU AI Act.
What you’ll take away:
- when the EU AI Act also affects Swiss companies — and what always applies regardless,
- why interoperability between the DSG and the EU AI Act becomes an issue in cross-border data traffic,
- the three decision-maker questions the workshop answers and what you have at the end,
- what the workshop costs (EUR 3,900 net, fixed price plus travel costs) and how the on-site day runs,
- why shadow AI is the most immediate risk — even without EU regulation.
What applies to Swiss companies in regulatory terms?
Switzerland is not an EU member — the EU AI Act therefore does not automatically apply to Swiss companies. But it becomes relevant quickly: when your company offers AI systems or their outputs on the EU market, serves subsidiaries or customers in the EU, or processes personal data across the border. Swiss companies then have to ensure interoperability between the DSG and the EU AI Act for cross-border data traffic.
Regardless of that, the revised Swiss Data Protection Act always applies: when employees enter customer data, calculations or internal documents into public AI tools, a real data-protection and leakage risk arises — shadow AI is just as much the most common pattern in Swiss companies as in German or Austrian ones.
The practical consequence: it is not detailed regulatory knowledge that decides, but binding AI guidelines and demonstrable competence in the team — both outcomes of the workshop.
Which three questions does the workshop answer?
Are we ready for AI at all? The workshop honestly assesses your data foundation, processes, skills and compliance position — including the question of which data may go into which systems at all.
Where do we sensibly start? Use cases are prioritized by business value, not by hype. For companies on Microsoft 365, daily work in Teams is often the most tangible entry point.
What can go wrong — and how do we prevent it? Binding guidelines govern permitted tools, excluded data classes, review duties and responsibilities — DSG-compliant and, where needed, EU-AI-Act-ready.
How does the workshop run and what does it deliver?
A short kick-off call sets the objectives before the date. The workshop day lasts six hours and has five blocks. First, where you stand, with your system landscape and the maturity level per department on a four-step scale. Then AI basics and risks such as hallucination and bias. At the core is the hands-on session with three worksheets, from the friction point card via the use case card to the AI pilot canvas. After that come the rules for using AI, aligned with the DSG for Swiss companies and with the EU AI Act where there is EU market exposure. Finally comes a vendor-independent tool overview with the 30-day plan.
You receive the result document after the workshop. It has four parts.
- the maturity level per department as an honest starting point
- worked-out use cases with benefit, data, limits and the split between AI and people
- AI rules on which data may go into which tool and who approves new tools, aligned with the DSG and, where relevant, EU market exposure
- a pilot plan for the next 30 days with success criteria and a named owner
The result is not a product recommendation but a basis for decisions — no slide decks, no tool sales.
What does the workshop cost for Swiss companies?
| Criterion | PASSION4IT AI workshop | Generic AI seminar | Internal effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | 6-hour strategy session on site | Half a day to several days, standard curriculum | Alongside day-to-day business |
| Price | EUR 3,900 net, fixed price | Variable, often per participant | Internal capacity |
| Relevance to your company | Your data, processes, risks, pilot plan | Generic basics, tool demos | High, but without an outside view |
| DSG / EU AI Act relevance | Guidelines aligned with DSG and EU market exposure | Mostly EU-centric overview | Own research |
| Outcome | Maturity level, use cases, AI rules, 30-day pilot | Certificate of attendance | Varies, rarely binding |
For context: Germany’s BAFA subsidy applies only to companies based in Germany — for Swiss companies the fixed price applies without a funding route. The workshop always takes place in person, so travel costs to Switzerland are added to the fixed price and agreed beforehand; billing is in EUR.
Subsequent workforce enablement runs scalably through the PASSION4IT Academy — digital, location-independent and with a certificate, should your company want to document AI literacy towards EU partners.
Conclusion: strategy before tools — even without an EU obligation
Swiss companies have more regulatory leeway on AI than their EU neighbours — but exactly the same failure risks: shadow AI, unstructured data, missing guidelines and tools without a strategy. The PASSION4IT AI workshop delivers the decision basis in six hours. At the end you have the maturity level per department, worked-out use cases, AI rules and a pilot plan for the next 30 days. You can run the implementation yourselves, and we support it on request.
Book a no-obligation initial consultation — remotely via Teams, and we’ll clarify whether your company is ready.
Further resources
- AI readiness, strategy and implementation for the mid-market — the PASSION4IT AI service at a glance.
- Managing directors in Austria: EU AI Act without delay — the counterpart for EU companies with an AI Act focus.
- AI readiness check for companies in the DACH region 2026 — the baseline assessment for the whole DACH region, including DSG notes.
- Who helps with Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption in the mid-market? — when the tool question follows the strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an AI workshop deliver for managing directors in Switzerland?
In six hours it delivers the decision basis before any AI investment. You get the maturity level per department, worked-out use cases, AI rules on which data may go into which tool, and a pilot plan for the next 30 days, based on your company and your legal position.
Does the EU AI Act apply to Swiss companies?
Not automatically — Switzerland is not an EU member. It becomes relevant as soon as your company offers AI systems or their outputs on the EU market or processes data across the border. Then interoperability between the DSG and the EU AI Act must be ensured. The revised DSG always applies regardless.
What does the workshop cost and how is it delivered?
EUR 3,900 net fixed price for the 6-hour strategy session. The workshop always takes place in person, either at your company or at our offices in Viechtach; travel costs are added to the fixed price and agreed before you place the order. Funding like Germany’s BAFA does not exist for Swiss companies; the fixed price applies without a funding route.
What outcomes does the workshop deliver concretely?
Three completed worksheets per use case. The friction point card shows the real bottleneck, the use case card covers benefit, data, limits and the split between AI and people, and the AI pilot canvas sets out the next 30 days with success criteria and a named owner. On top come the maturity level of your departments and the AI rules against shadow AI. Everything is in the result document.
Why are AI guidelines sensible even without an EU obligation?
Because shadow AI is not a regulation problem but a data-protection and knowledge-leakage problem: without rules, employees enter confidential data into public tools. Guidelines govern permitted tools, excluded data classes and review duties — DSG-compliant.
How do I train the workforce after the workshop?
Through the PASSION4IT Academy: digital, location-independent, scalable and with a certificate. That is relevant for Swiss companies too, when they want to document AI literacy towards EU customers or partners.